Out of This World
by Sennalyn
Summary: The gang from Emergency meet the seventh Doctor and Ace from Doctor Who in this crossover story. Complete.
1. Default Chapter

**Out of this World  
**_an Emergency/Doctor Who crossover story_

* * *

Disclaimer: _Emergency!_ and its characters are property of Universal Studios and Mark VII. _Doctor Who_ and its characters are property of the BBC. No copyright infringement is intended. This is just for fun. Enjoy!

* * *

**Part One**

A whirring, grinding, moaning sound permeated the peaceful early morning air. A portion of the long, tall hedge which surrounded the back part of Lakeview Park shimmered and vibrated slightly as an object suddenly materialized among its branches, the bright light on top of it flashing urgently. When the groaning, wheezing sound stopped with a final _thunk_, one could see, if one were looking, a large blue wooden box with two doors in the front, and the words "Police Call Box" written in peeling, faded white letters across the top of the box just visible beyond the foliage. The door opened, and a young woman stepped out of it, pushing aside the branches, and holding them back for her companion, an older gentleman, who emerged slowly, and seemingly in some distress.

"Over here, Professor," the girl lead the man over to a tree close enough so he wouldn't have to go far, but still far enough away so that the blue box wouldn't be seen by anyone else. "Sit down here."

She helped him sit under the tree in the shade, and knelt before him looking concerned. The man tried to reassure her.

"Really, Ace, I'm _fine_," he insisted. But he wasn't, really, and he knew it. He'd felt off for some time, and now his chest was tight and his left arm hurt. He was sweating, and having trouble breathing. The thought of a heart attack occurred to this man, known throughout the Universe only as the Doctor, but since he wasn't _that_ kind of doctor, he couldn't be sure. Besides, Time Lords didn't have heart attacks. Did they? The tightness increased suddenly, and the Doctor grimaced in pain, sucking in a breath.

"Stay here, Professor, I'm going to get help!" The Doctor's travelling companion jumped up, and was gone before he could stop her. He sighed heavily as the pain eased slightly. He looked around and noted more trees and green grass, as well as rickety wooden picnic tables, a large wooden gazebo, and brightly coloured metal playground equipment. He realized they'd landed the TARDIS in a public park. It was still quite early; the light was pale, and the grass was still dewy. Few people were around to notice their sudden arrival, which was perfectly fine with the Doctor, however, he knew the place would be bustling soon with kids, families, and joggers. He hoped Ace would be able to get help to him soon, and not just because he was in considerable pain, and becoming weaker, but because he was still vulnerable to attack by his arch enemy and fellow Time Lord, the Master. There was no way he was strong enough to battle his nemesis now, nor could Ace possibly fight the Master by herself. She might be a strong, resourceful young woman, and she may have grown up considerably in the past couple of years, but she was still basically a child. At least that's how the Doctor saw her. Of course, when you're a 950-year-old Time Lord, anyone under 400 is basically an infant! The Doctor could once again feel the darkness tugging at him, and the pressure in his chest threatened to suffocate him. He fought to stay awake, but felt himself sinking further and further into the abyss.

* * *

Firefighter/Paramedic John Gage finished tying the laces of his right shoe, whistling a tune he made up as he went along. He straightened up, took his foot off the low bench, and turned to give the Smokey the Bear poster hanging inside his locker door a quick _tap, tap_ of his fingers before closing the door. He smiled to himself remembering the fun time he'd had with that new nurse, Sharon, last night. His partner, Roy DeSoto stood a few feet away, buttoning his shirt watching John go through his daily routine.

"Have a good time with Susan last night, Johnny?" he asked, blue eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"It was Sharon," Johnny corrected, looking at himself in the mirror, combing his thick, dark hair with his fingers, "and, yeah, I did!"

Johnny smiled slyly and resumed whistling, sauntering out of the locker room towards the kitchen. Roy shook his head. Susan. Sharon. Whatever. He couldn't keep up with his partner's romantic life these days. He finished dressing, and headed to the kitchen himself for some coffee. Johnny was there, holding a steaming cup of coffee in one hand, and putting the coffee pot down on the stove with the other. Roy moved swiftly while his partner was distracted by someone - probably his nemesis, Chet, Roy guessed - and deftly snatched the coffee mug out of John's hand.

"Why, thank you, Junior," he said, grinning at his partner's obvious displeasure; not only at losing his cup of coffee, but at Roy's use of the nickname, "Junior", which annoyed him.

Without missing a step Johnny simultaneously glared at Roy, yelled something disparaging at Chet, and grabbed another coffee mug and began to fill it. He had just set the pot down again when "A" shift's Captain, Hank Stanley, entered the room, and purposefully headed over to John. Wise to the likelihood that his second cup of coffee might be stolen out from under him, Johnny quickly brought the mug to his lips and drank deep. The hot liquid burned his lips and tongue, and brought tears to his eyes, but he was undeterred.

"Ha," he said as Captain Stanley stopped in his tracks, disappointment obvious on his face. "I already drank out of this one! Damn! That_ hurt_!"

"Ha, ha!" laughed Chet Kelly from his perch on the sofa across the room. "Serves you right, Gage!" "Wadda ya mean, 'serves me ri . . .'?" John demanded, but was interrupted by the sound of the alarm.

_"Squad 51, possible heart attack . . ."_

He set his mug down on the table without a second thought for it or Chet, and ran out to the engine bay, around the back of the bright red squad, and hopped in the passenger side.

_" . . . north side of _ _Lakeview_ _Park_

Roy got in behind the wheel, and they both put on their helmets. John began scribbling down notes, and, bringing up a mental map of the area, he decided on the quickest route to the park. Roy started the engine, and watched as the bay door opened with agonizing slowness.

"Squad 51, KMG 365," Captain Stanley confirmed the call, and handed Roy a piece of paper with the location of the incident; he passed it on to John, who jotted more notes. Before the bay doors were even completely up, the squad took off, lights flashing and sirens blaring, to the park where the first victim of the day waited.

* * *

Ace heard the sirens, and turned to see a bright red truck with flashing lights entering the park. She looked worriedly at the Doctor, who was now barely conscious, then went to meet the approaching Rescue Unit. The Doctor had heard the sirens, too, filtering in through the increasingly thick darkness, but long before his companion had. As a Time Lord, the Doctor had many gifts, superior hearing among them. He worried briefly about being examined by Earth medics, but his fears were quickly squelched by the increasing pressure and intense pain in his chest. His condition was not yet life-threatening enough for the regeneration process to kick in, and he really had no desire to wait around for that to happen. He needed help. He needed to trust someone. He needed immediate medical attention, and he was a very long way from home.

At the sound of approaching voices, the Doctor tried to open his eyes. He recognized Ace - admittedly more by the sound of her voice than her blurry appearance - and saw two men in blue shirts carrying several boxes walking on either side of her. When they reached him, the thinner, dark-haired man began speaking, and, pulling something out of his pocket, shined a light in the Doctor's eyes. The man looked at him expectantly, and The Doctor realized he'd been speaking to him.

"Sir?" he repeated, "Sir, can you hear me?"

The Doctor tried to speak, but all that came out a wheeze.

"Okay, okay," the dark-haired man said, "you're gonna be alright. My name is John Gage, and this is my partner, Roy DeSoto. We're paramedics, and we're gonna help you, here." He turned to Ace. "What's his name, Miss, ah . . ."

"Ace," she answered. "My name is Ace, and he's the Doctor."

"Okay." He grabbed the Doctor's wrist with two fingers, pressing slightly, and cocked his other arm up to look at his wristwatch for a few moments. "Okay, sir, just rela . . ." He stopped and looked confused. "Ah, Roy," John Gage said to his fair-haired companion who was busy wrapping a thick cuff on the Doctor's upper arm, "This is weird. I can't get a good pulse here."

"Well, try to get a carotid," the man named Roy DeSoto replied, pumping up the cuff. The Doctor felt a pressure on the side of his neck, and saw John again looking at his wrist watch.

"That won't wor . . ." The Doctor tried to tell the paramedics, but the one named John Gage just shushed him. "Now just relax, Doc, and let us take care of you," he said. He turned to Ace and began asking her questions about the Doctor's medical history.

The Doctor was in no condition to argue or help himself in any way, and allowed the paramedics to work on him. He was tired, so tired. Despite the possibly dangerous situation he was in, the Doctor finally allowed himself to slip into the black abyss of unconsciousness.

* * *

Ace hung back giving the paramedics room to work answering questions whenever she was asked, unsure of how much she should tell them. It bugged her, though, not being able to help more, and soon she was pacing back and forth in front of them. They'd laid the Doctor out on his back, as soon as he'd lost consciousness, and were using their equipment to take readings on his vitals. It soon became apparent they were having trouble deciphering the pulse and blood pressure. After trying to get a good reading from the wrist and carotid artery, John Gage turned to her, while Roy DeSoto, having given up on getting a decent BP reading, opened the Doctor's shirt and began applying white sensor pads to his chest.

"Ah, does he have any history of heart trouble? Has he been ill lately?" John asked.

Ace's mind raced. The Doctor was an alien, a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey, with a somewhat different physiological makeup than a human, although by all outward appearances, he was a man. He was not a young man, however. Ace wasn't sure of his exact age, but guessed him to be at least 950 in Earth years. Not unusual for a Time Lord, but still . . .

"Miss?" John looked expectantly at her. She shook her head to clear it. She knelt down beside John.

"No, no history that I know of." "Hey, John," Roy interrupted, "look at this EKG reading I'm getting." John turned away from Ace to stare at a small screen. Roy had two metal disks placed on the doctor's chest, one on the upper right side, and the other on the left side of the doctor's torso. Ace leaned in closer so she, too, could see the screen. An even, steady beeping followed a line rhythmically bouncing its way across the screen. The two paramedics looked at each other, obviously confused.

"This man's not having a heart attack!" Roy exclaimed. "He' in perfect sinus rhythm!"

"Well, there's definitely_ some_thing wrong with him, " John said. He turned back to Ace, who was desperately trying to figure out what to do. By now a small crowd of people - joggers, elderly ladies out for a morning stroll, and mothers with small children - had gathered behind them, curiously anticipating a major drama. Ace leaned down close to John so only he and his partner could hear.

"It might not_ that_ heart having the attack," she whispered, "it could be the other one."

John pulled back. "The WHAT?" he exclaimed.

"Shhh!" Ace pleaded, grabbing his shirt sleeve and pulling him closer to her again. "Look, he's got _two_ hearts. Alright?"

John turned to stare at Roy, who just stared back at him. He turned back to Ace.

"What the hell . . ."

"It . . . it's a birth defect," Ace said quickly, improvising.

"A_ birth_ defect," the paramedic repeated incredulously.

"Yes," Ace insisted. "Just move those sensors down a bit, here, and the other one, there," she guided Roy's hands, still holding onto the metal paddles, to where he would be able to get a reading on the Doctor's other heart. Suddenly the reading on the screen changed, and the steady, normal rhythm, was replaced by a quick uneven zigzagging line across the screen accompanied by a more frantic tone.

"He's in V-fib!" Roy shouted. John reached across the Doctor's prone body and flicked a switch on the machine. A steady tone emitted from it, then began to beep while John started counting.

"One . . . two . . ."

"Johnny!" Roy hissed, "do I hit him like _this_?" He nodded to the odd way the sensors were placed on the Doctor's chest.

"I guess so," John answered, just as confused as Roy was. On the one hand, it was the wrong procedure completely, but on the other hand, they had a very sick man who would die without treatment, two hearts or no. John continued to tick off the counts. " . . .three . . .four . . . _hit him_!"

Roy didn't hesitate to yell, "Clear!", and pressed the buttons on the paddles sending an electrical shock through the Doctor's body. The Doctor stiffened and jerked a little before falling still again.

"Nothin', hit him again," John said after a brief glance a the screen.

The men repeated the procedure and then Ace heard the steady beep, beep, beep, sound and saw the steady, even rhythm on the screen. John grabbed a red box, opened it, affixed the antenna, picked up the telephone style receiver, and spoke into it: "Rampart, this is Squad 51, how do you read?"

"Go ahead, 51," a female voice came through the speaker.

Ace leaned back on her heels, exhaled, and took in the scene. John Gage was explaining the situation to the woman on the phone, while his partner, Roy DeSoto, took new readings on the Doctor as best he could, relaying them to John who passed on the information. She noticed suddenly the crude, almost primitive equipment the men were using. She looked around scanning the growing crowd of lookie-loos and the rest of the park. By the manner of dress and the style of automobiles parked nearby, Ace figured they were somewhere in the early- to mid-1970's. They were definitely not in England, however, and Ace guessed they were in America by John's and Roy's accents. She relaxed a little more. Being able to get back to Earth when the Doctor suddenly took ill was a relief in itself, but landing in a friendly country with fairly advanced medical practices - for the time, anyway - was like icing on the cake.

The paramedics continued their work on the Doctor, following instructions from a now-male voice on the other end of the phone. Ace heard another siren approaching. She looked up to see an ambulance pulling up behind the bright red squad.

Ace felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to find John Gage talking to her.

"Ace?"

"Hmm?"

"I said, did you want to ride in with him? In the ambulance?" John asked.

"Oh, yes, sorry," Ace answered, mentally kicking herself for not paying better attention. She waited as John, Roy and the ambulance attendants bundled the doctor onto the gurney, and followed them to the ambulance. She climbed into the passenger side of the ambulance while the Doctor was loaded into the back. John climbed in the back with the Doctor, one attendant, and all the equipment, and Roy closed the door, smacking the back of it, indicating they could go. Ace felt a flood of relief rush through her. They were going to a hospital. The Doctor would be alright, she'd been assured by both the paramedics. Now, if they were _really_ lucky, the Master wouldn't discover where they were. Ace crossed her fingers and said a small prayer.

* * *

In all the excitement and commotion in the park, no one noticed the sudden appearance of a dingy grey, ivy covered Grecian pillar just behind a tree not ten yards away from where a man lay fighting for his life, while two paramedics worked quickly and efficiently to save him. The crowd began to dissipate as the ambulance sped away followed closely by the squad.

"Oh, that poor man!" exclaimed a large, middle-aged woman in a bright floral muumuu.

"Yes, it's a pity," agreed her friend, dressed in an equally gaudy polyester jumpsuit. "But, I heard them say they're taking him to Rampart General Hospital, so he should be _fine_. That's where my husband, Richard, went for _his_ heart attack, and they took _such_ good care of him!"

The two women moved away, still gossiping, but the man who'd been standing behind them, listening intently, no longer cared. He'd heard all he needed to. He knew where the Doctor was now. The Master smiled evilly, plotting his next move.

* * *

Johnny tried out take his patient's pulse again before remembering it was useless. The reading on the scope gave him all the information he needed to know the man was still stable anyway. _Well, stable for **him**, anyway, '_Johnny thought. He leaned back looking at the man he and Roy had worked on. This man who, according to his young companion, had two hearts. _Two hearts!_ Johnny barely believed it, and wouldn't have at all, had he not seen it with his own eyes: two completely different sets of EKG readings coming from two completely different parts of the man's chest. Two separate heart beats. Two separate hearts. He'd heard them both. Roy'd heard them both. It was true. Still. Two hearts! Birth defect or no, this was really weird. John shook his head in an attempt to clear it. It was just way too early in the morning, and he'd had way too little coffee to try to make sense of this.

He looked up and saw the girl looking back through the window at him. When their eyes met, she held his gaze steadily. She looked worried. Johnny tried to give her a reassuring smile, which she attempted to return before turning back to stare out the passenger side window. Now, _she_ was different, John thought. Pretty enough with her long, straight dark blonde hair, but a real tough girl: black jacket loaded with various badges and patches, short black skirt over black tights, black knapsack, black combat boots. She was very calm and seemingly in full command of the situation when she'd first met them at the park, but, became quite frightened when she saw her friend (Father? Uncle? Lover? Johnny didn't know.) in such distress. She started off all brusque and full of bravado, and now seemed small, lost, and alone. Johnny was about to wonder again what her relationship with the man might be when they turned into Rampart Emergency.

* * *

Ace jumped out of the passenger side of the ambulance before it came to a complete stop. Adrenaline surged through her again as she realized that although the Doctor was about to get "the best medical care in the county, maybe even the _state_," according to John Gage, she knew there would be questions she wasn't looking forward to answering.

She watched as John and the ambulance attendants wheeled the Doctor into Exam room 3, as directed by a pretty blonde haired nurse, who refused to allow Ace inside. Soon an intense, dark-haired man wearing a white lab coat rushed down the hall, and entered the room, too. Ace had nothing to do again, and soon began to pace. John's partner arrived moments later, and approached her.

"He's in there, and they won't let me see him!"

"Yeah," Roy said, "that's standard procedure." He went to peek in the window and saw Dr. Brackett surrounded by Dixie, John and the ambulance attendants all working calmly and efficiently on the Doctor.

"He's got Dr. Brackett in with him now. Your friend's in good hands," he said smiling pleasantly. "Why don't we go in here and get some coffee?"

He was so calm and assured, and seemed nice enough, so Ace relented, and allowed herself to be escorted into a lounge area, and seated at a table. Roy grabbed a couple mugs and filled them with a hot, dark liquid, setting one down in front of her, then taking a seat opposite her. They sat silently pondering their coffee for a time, until Roy said, "Forgive me for being nosey, but, what sort of birth defect does your friend have, anyway? Two hearts . . . it's, ah, it's nothing I've ever heard of!"

Ace had gotten pretty good at reading people even before travelling the Universe with the Doctor, and she felt she could really trust this man. She decided to tell him the truth, at least a little of it, just to see how he reacted. If he freaked out, she'd stop and just make something up from there. If he didn't . . . Before she could begin, however, the door opened, and John came in. He grabbed some coffee and joined them at the table.

Ace tensed up, a dozen questions sat on the tip of her tongue, but she was unsure which one to ask first. John held his hand up to silence her before she could speak. He took a big swig of coffee, set the mug down, and said, "He's going to be fine. They're taking him up to surgery now. He's got a blocked artery in his heart, uh, the, ah, lower one, that is, and, they're going to perform a bypass. Don't worry," he held his hand up again to stop Ace from interjecting, "I told them about his birth defect, and although it's definitely a new one around here, the doctors here know what they're doing, and can deal with anything that comes up. So, don't worry, okay?"

Ace was relieved, but still concerned. These doctors may be good, but they've probably never operated on a Time Lord before. Probably never even _heard_ of a Time Lord before.

"Thank you, guys." She smiled at them. She felt more relaxed and comfortable than she had in a long time. They were safe on Earth, the Doctor was in good hands, and she was suddenly very, very tired.

"Well, Junior, " Roy said to John, "we'd better get back to work." He was disappointed he wouldn't get to hear about this mysterious birth defect, but they really couldn't just hang around here all day. "Good luck, Ace!" He grabbed the Handi-Talk off the table, and he and John turned to leave.

"Wait," Ace said, suddenly remembering the Master was still on their tail. "Would it be possible for you guys to drop me back at the park? We left the TAR . . . the Professor's car back there, and I'd feel better having it close by." _'Just in case we need to get out of here fast,'_ she thought, but kept that to herself.

John and Roy looked at each other. It was really against the rules, but they could still call in to dispatch as available, the park was basically on their way back to the station anyway, and besides, what could possibly happen?

* * *

The Master returned to his TARDIS to contemplate what he had heard, and plan his next move. The Master's present body, stolen from a Trakkan man several years earlier, was weakened by the many failed attempts to capture the Doctor, and he could feel it wasting away. He needed a new body, and fast. He wanted the Doctor's Time Lord body badly, but his last attempt had failed miserably, and left him weaker than ever. Now the Doctor's body, too, was weakened by disease, and for the first time in his long life, the Master feared he may face death.

The Master shook his head to dislodge the black thoughts, and reviewed what he had learned: The Doctor was at an Earth hospital being treated for his heart problem, an problem, which if dealt with soon enough, was completely curable, even on this primitive planet, and would likely not require the Doctor to regenerate again. The Master hoped he would recover quickly, than chuckled at the turn of events. It was not often the Master hoped the Doctor would live. The Master's mood brightened. This could easily work towards his advantage, he thought. The Doctor would be in one place, and quite vulnerable for a while. Being a Time Lord, however, he would heal quicker than a human patient, and the Master could easily snatch the Doctor out of the hospital not too long after his surgery. Soon, the Doctor's body would be strong enough to perform the transfer, and the Master would be saved, and his arch enemy would be vanquished. Yes, it would work! It was perfect! The Master grinned evilly into the dreary darkness inside his own TARDIS' control center.

"Soon, Doctor," he sneered, "soon your body and its remaining regenerations will be mine, and then I will live forever!"

His menacing laughter echoed off the dingy TARDIS walls. As it died down, the Master began his newest plan of attack.

* * *

Roy pulled out of Rampart still curious about the Doctor's bizarre birth defect, but kept his mouth shut. Ace had offered up no more information, and he didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable by pressing the issue. His partner, however, had no such hang-ups.

"So, what's this birth defect your ah, ah, friend has?" Johnny asked bluntly. "How'd that happen?"

Ace hesitated momentarily. She'd been ready to spill her guts to Roy, but now she was unsure.

"Er," she began, "Well, you see . . .er, the Professor is, um, well, not from around here, and . . ."

"Well, we figured _that_," Johnny interrupted.

"What?"

"Well, the way you talk, for one thing. You've got an accent, you know? Where're you from, anyway?"

"I'm from England. Perivale, to be exact, and, _I_ don't have an accent, John Gage,_you_ lot do!" Ace grinned at him, relieved to have a change of topic.

"Oh, yeah?" Suddenly, and without even realizing it, Johnny turned on the infamous Gage charm. He smiled back, his lopsided grin spreading slowly across his face, brown eyes sparkling merrily.

"Yeah! Have you ever been?"

"To England? No, no, never made it over there. Yet, that is! But, you never know, I might! Yeah, I might just go over to England sometime. Hey, maybe we could get together . . ."

Roy shook his head, snickering to himself. He turned his attention to the street ahead of him, ignoring the now flirty couple.

_Well, I guess we'll never know why that guy had two hearts._ Roy thought._ Of course, Dr. Brackett or _ _Dixie__ might find out. I could always find out from them. Heck, we'll probably be seeing them later on today anyhow . . .'_

"Hey, Roy, check that out," Johnny said suddenly, pointing across the cab to a small white painted brick building coming up on the left hand side of the street. Smoke poured out of the front windows and door, and people were running out of what appeared to be a small restaurant.

"I see it," Roy said, once again alert. Flicking on the lights and siren, he made a careful U-turn in the middle of the road, and came to park in front of the burning building. Johnny called the fire into dispatch, and requested assistance. Then he turned to Ace.

"Sorry, Ace, but we're gonna have to take this," he said already grabbing his helmet, and jumping out of the squad. "Ah, the park's not much farther, just down there about a block and hang a right. You can't miss it."

Without saying good-bye, or even looking back, he and Roy grabbed their turnout coats, air tanks and masks, and other equipment from the compartments on the side of the truck. Bedecked in their firefighter gear, the two men and ran over to the group of sooty, frightened people. Just what they thought they could do by themselves with no water or hoses or anything was beyond Ace. She got out of the truck, but instead of heading towards the park and the TARDIS, she stayed to watch.

"Is everyone okay here?" Johnny shouted to be heard above the panicked voices of the crowd, and the roar of the fire. The building, once a small diner called _The Country Kitchen Cafe_ was now fully involved. Flames shot out the front windows, and thick black smoke emanated from the front and rear of the small building. A frantic woman ran up to Johnny, grabbing his coat, and pulling him towards the cafe.

"My daughter! My daughter is still in there!" she screamed, pointing to the front door.

"Okay, now just calm down, ma'am, calm down," Johnny grabbed the woman by both arms, and looked straight into her eyes in an attempt to get her full attention. "Where exactly is your daughter?"

"She went to the ladies room," the woman said, "It's in the back by the kitchen! Please get her out!_ Please_!"

Johnny saw Ace standing nearby, and took the woman over to her. "Okay," he said to the woman, "You just stand right here, and relax. Everything's going to be alright." He looked at Ace, but said nothing. Ace understood the silent signal, and wrapped her arms around the distraught woman, letting her cry on her shoulder. Johnny and Roy put on their oxygen masks while walking towards the front door, covered their heads with their helmets, and disappeared into the smoke.

Ace stood there, stunned. They weren't even going to wait for another fire truck to show up! The woman was sobbing violently on her shoulder. Ace pulled to out to arms length.

"You're daughter is going to be alright!" She told the woman. "These guys are the best! Beli_eve_ me! If anyone can get your daughter out, they can!"

Suddenly, sirens were all around them as first one engine, than another pulled up to the scene. Ace saw the first one to arrive had a 51 on it; the same number as John and Roy's truck. She took the woman over to stand with the other restaurant patrons, and headed over to the engine. She noticed a tall fireman who was alternately yelling orders to the other men, and giving directions into a walkie-talkie to the other approaching fire engine.

"Hey! Hey!" she yelled to him. "Are you with Roy and Johnny?"

"Yeah," the man yelled back, "I'm Captain Stanley."

"Captain, Roy and Johnny have both gone inside looking for a girl."

"When?"

"About five minutes ago!"

"Alright, thank you, Miss, now just stand back out of the way please," Captain Stanley moved Ace back toward the engine. "Chet! Marco! Get a line inside that place! Johnny and Roy are in there looking for a victim!"

"Okay, Cap!" the firemen yelled back. They grabbed a hose and headed for the door, shooting water into the entrance before advancing. Other firemen with more hoses started dousing the flames coming out of the front window, while others started heading around the back of the building.

Ace stood back as instructed, staring in awe at the blazing fire and flurry of activity before her. Was that truly a building standing there? She wondered. Flames shot out of every possible exit now, and some even came out of the roof, all accompanied by thick, black smoke, and a thunderous roar. She could not imagine anyone being alive in that.

As she stood there, she recalled the fire she'd started back in her home town of Perivale, and her love of explosives, particularly her home-made concoction, nitro-9, that had gotten her into so much trouble in her youth. It was messing around with the volatile liquid that had gotten her blown up in a time storm to the planet Svartos, where she slaved as a waitress in Iceworld before meeting the Doctor and travelling the Universe with him. The Doctor disapproved of her use of explosives to get out of various situations, but Ace had always been stubborn, even, she admitted now, a bit bratty, and would often disobey, doing whatever she wanted regardless of the consequences. But, that was a long time ago - a _lifetime_ ago, it seemed - and she was a very different woman now. Standing there watching the blaze, Ace felt a twinge of guilt for all her past destructive behaviour, as well as an intense admiration for Johnny and Roy and the other men valiantly fighting a fire they had no chance in hell of defeating. The two paramedics had not hesitated to throw themselves into the burning building on the off chance that the woman's daughter might still be alive. Had they though about their own lives for even a second?

Just as it occurred to her they'd been in there an awfully long time, a fireman emerged from the building, covered in black soot, and carrying an equally dirty child. He - was it Johnny or Roy, or one of the other men? Ace couldn't tell - rushed over towards the engine, and gently laid the girl down on the sidewalk. Just then, the building moaned and groaned, and a section of the roof collapsed. Some men rushed out of the building, shouting, but quickly enough took up the hoses again, and headed back inside once the collapse was over. The girl's mother ran over screaming, but Captain Stanley held her back, spoke to her firmly, and seemed to calm her down some. She approached more slowly, and knelt down on the sidewalk a little ways behind her daughter's prone body, still weeping, and calling her daughter's name. The fireman removed his helmet and air mask, and Ace saw then that it was Roy. He directed a couple men to get additional equipment out of the squad, and immediately began checking over the girl: taking her pulse and checking her breathing. He grabbed the oxygen tank as soon as it was placed beside him, and put the small mask over the girl's mouth and nose. Ace looked around, but didn't see the other paramedic. She ran up to Roy.

"Where's Johnny?" she shouted.

Roy looked up at her, then back towards the restaurant. "I dunno," he answered. "He was right behind me in there. Hey, Cap! I think Johnny's still in there!"

The Captain nodded his acknowledgment, and headed off shouting instructions to the men. Roy continued working on the girl, seemingly unaffected by the fact that his partner was still inside the building. Ace hated just standing around. She hated not being able to help, not being able to _do_ something. She wanted to run into that building herself to look for Johnny herself, but knew that would be stupid. These men knew what they were doing, and would bring him out, if he was unable to do so himself. She began pacing again to release her pent up energy, and eventually started wandering around the area behind Roy, the little girl and her mother, behind the men with their hoses blasting gallons of water on the stubborn flames, and down a little alley on the opposite side of the restaurant. There was only one small window on that side, towards the back of the building. It was closed and still intact, so only a little smoke was leaking out. Suddenly, the window shattered, sending broken glass flying out onto the pavement. Ace ran up to it just as a fireman was cleaning broken glass from the windowsill. His helmet, air mask and tank were gone, and Ace could see it was Johnny. He hoisted himself up and out of the window head first, and Ace ran to help him down. He dropped to the ground, coughing, and sucking in as much clean air as he could. Ace helped him get up, and half dragged him around to the front of the building.

The ambulance had arrived, as had a second Squad, who's paramedics were checking some of the other restaurant patrons, most of whom had just inhaled a little smoke, and had mostly been frightened. The girl was being loaded into the back of the ambulance, and her mother had just climbed in the passenger side when Ace and Johnny reached them.

"Well, nice of you to join us, Gage," Captain Stanley joked, then added more seriously, "You okay?"

"Yeah," Johnny said. "That roof caved in right in front of me, and I couldn't get to the front door. My air ran out, so I just abandoned the tank, and I ended up breaking out a window on the other side and climbing out. Ace helped me."

"Oh, she _did_, did she?" The Captain shot her a withering glare, and she cringed.

"Ah, here, Johnny," Roy had come over with another oxygen tank, and handed the mask to Johnny, who put it up to his face, and took several deep breaths. "Thanks, Pally," he said grinning.

"No problem, Junior," Roy said returning the smile. "I'm going in with this girl and her mother . . ."

"Hey, is she okay?" Johnny asked suddenly.

"Oh, yeah. She inhaled a lot of smoke - kind-a like it looks like you did - and was unconscious for a bit, but she came around. She'll be just fine, I'm sure. No other injuries."

"Oh, that's great news!" Johnny said smiling.

"Maybe you ought to come in with us," Roy suggested.

"No, I'll just follow you in the squad. I can have one of the docs check me out when I get there, but I'm fine, really."

"Alright, see ya there." Roy hopped into the ambulance. Johnny closed the doors, checked them, and slapped the door twice to signal the driver he could go. Then he headed over to the squad; Ace followed him.

"You guys are bloody amazing!" she exclaimed. "I mean, you just ran in there, into a _burning building_, like it was _nothing_! For someone you don't even know is dead or alive! For someone you don't even _know_!"

"Yeah, well, that's our job," Johnny said simply as he put the equipment away. "Hey, ah, I can still go ahead and drop you off at the park, if you like. I can head off to Rampart from there. It's not that far out of the way."

Ace looked warily over to where the Captain and the other men were still working. "I don't want you to get into any trouble."

"It's no trouble," Johnny smiled at her, his teeth a stark white against his dark, soot smudged face. This was a smile, Ace realized, that few women could resist. She decided not to try. Instead, she smiled back at him, and accepted the ride.

* * *

"So, where's your car?" Johnny asked as he pulled up to the park.

"Oh, it's over there somewhere," Ace waved her hand noncommittally. "This is fine, right here, really."

Johnny pulled into a parking space and shut off the engine.

"Stay here," he instructed, and lept out of the squad, running around to open the door for Ace. He bowed and extended his arm with a flourish. Ace giggled, liking this lean, dark-haired man more and more. "What are you doing?"

"I'm just being a proper gentleman," Johnny said, straightening up. "Aren't all the guys in England proper and polite, and open doors for pretty young ladies?"

"Not often!" Ace said as she got out of the cab, and walked around behind Johnny.

Johnny turned to face her, and draped his arm through the open window. "Really? I'd always heard those guys were real poli . . . "

He stopped suddenly as something behind Ace caught his eye; something that hadn't been there before.

"Huh! What do you suppose that thing is?" he pointed towards the area where they'd been treating the Doctor. Partially sticking out from behind a tree, a large, greyish column could be seen.

"What? Where?" Ace turned around.

"There, right there, behind that tree," Johnny pointed again. Ace followed the line of his arm and finger. She choked down a gasp. It was the Master's TARDIS!

"It looks like a Roman or Greek pillar thing, or something, doesn't it?" Johnny said. "Huh, funny I never noticed that before. Must be here for a carnival, or fair, or something. So, anyway . . ." He turned his attention back to Ace, who was much more interesting than some weird thing in the park. She, however, was still staring at the column, and suddenly seemed upset.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing," Ace lied. She turned to him and smiled half-heartedly, but he could see she'd gone pale and seemed frightened by something. "Er, thanks for the ride, Johnny. I'd love to hang out and chat, but I've got to run!" She tried to turned and walk away, but Johnny stopped her, turning her around to face him.

"Now, wait a minute, I can tell something's wrong. Are you feeling alright?" He was suddenly in Paramedic mode again.

"Really, Johnny, I'm_ fine_!" Ace insisted. She tried to resist the urge to turn and look at the Master's TARDIS again, but lost. John followed her line of sight. "Is it something to do with that thing? Do you know what that is?"

Ace was so tired, and strangely enough she was afraid. With the Doctor seriously ill, and the Master on their tail, she suddenly didn't feel strong enough, mentally or physically, to deal with any of this on her own. At the same time, she knew she couldn't involve Johnny Gage in this battle, either, and tried to assure the paramedic she was fine so he would leave. He wasn't buying it. Johnny carefully guided her back to the squad, and sat her down on the running board. He even started taking her pulse.

"Please, I don't need your help," Ace insisted.

"Now, just hold on there," Johnny said in that all-too-calm, somewhat patronizing voice he used when dealing with difficult patients. Ace started to get annoyed. Annoyed with herself for being so weak, and annoyed with Johnny for suddenly going all paramedic on her. "Really," she said between clenched teeth, "I'm fine!"

She pushed Johnny out of the way and stood up. She didn't know if it was all the crazy things that had happened since she'd been blown up to Svartos, or if it was what was happening to the Doctor right now, or if it was just that she couldn't remember the last time she ate, but Ace suddenly felt quite dizzy, and despite her best efforts to stay conscious, she fainted. Johnny caught her and lowered her gently to the ground.

_Squad 51, what is your status?"_ the radio squaked.

Johnny jumped up and grabbed the mike, "Squad 51 responding to a still alarm at Lakeview park. No assistance required at this time."

_10-4, 51. Squad 36 in place of Squad 51 . . ."_

Johnny threw the mike back in the cab, and started grabbing the O2 and drug box out of the squad. It appeared that Ace had just fainted, but he wasn't taking any chances considering the stress she'd been under this morning. He checked her vitals and found them to be normal (and discovered that she only had the one heart, much to his relief), except for her pulse and B/P which were elevated slightly. After the morning she'd had, however, he didn't think that was unusual. He grabbed the smelling salts, broke open the package, and waved it under Ace's nose. She jerked awake suddenly, coughing and trying to push the offending object away.

"What happened?" she sputtered.

"You fainted. Are you alright? Are you still feeling lightheaded? Are you feeling sick at all?"

Ace sat up waving off the paramedic's assistance.

"I'm fine," she said. "I guess, I don't know. All the stress of the day catching up with me, and I can't remember when I last ate something."

Johnny looked at her intently for a moment, considering his options.

"Ah, look, I'm not too comfortable letting you drive, so, maybe we should just leave your friend's car here, for now, and I'll take you to back to Rampart myself. You can get something to eat there, and check on your friend, and maybe even get checked out yourself."

"Drive?" Ace had completely forgotten why they'd come there.

"Yeah, your friend's car? Remember? You were going to pick it up and go back to the Hospital?"

"Oh, yes, yes, the car, the car, that's right. Sorry, got a bit spacey there!" Ace tried to laugh it off, but Johnny still looked serious. She realized she wasn't going to get him off her back, and looking around the park, quickly devised a new plan to ditch him and get to the TARDIS.

"I guess you're right. Look, I really need to use the loo, first, though, okay?" she pointed to a small brick building by the playground area. "Just wait here, and I'll be right back."

She took off before Johnny could grab her this time, and headed for the rest rooms. Once inside, she figured she could climb out the back window, and make her way around the park to the TARDIS. By the time Johnny Gage figured out something was wrong, she'd be gone.

Johnny draped his arm through the squad door's open window again, and watched her go. There was something definitely very weird about this girl, but Johnny couldn't quite put his finger on it. She seemed like a pretty tough, strong, independent young woman, but the sight of some weird column thing in the park had freaked her out. He looked over to where the thing was. He was sure it hadn't been there when they were there earlier working on the girl's equally weird friend. Surely he would've noticed something so obvious, even though he was working on a victim. He turned and took off his turnout coat, draping it over the back of the squad, and bent down to close up the drug box. He put it and the oxygen away, shut the compartment doors, then looked over towards the rest rooms to see if Ace was on her way back, yet. She wasn't. _Women!_ he thought shaking his head. _They can spend hours in the bathroom fixing their hair and make-up, and come out looking exactly the same as when they went in!_ He went to turn his attention once again to the strange object, only to find it was gone! He blinked, rubbed his smoke-sore eyes, and looked again. Sure enough, the grey Roman-looking column thing was gone. His curiosity got the better of him, and Johnny headed over to the tree to investigate.

* * *

Ace was grateful to find the ladies room empty when she arrived, and headed straight for the high, narrow window in the back. It was partially opened and she shoved the pane back completely, and jumped up, hoisting herself headfirst out the window. The sharp, metal corner of the window frame caught Ace's skirt, tearing it a bit, as she made her way through the window. She cursed under her breath, ripped the fabric free, and continued out through the window. She peeked around the corner of the building to see Johnny standing by the squad, his arm draped through the open passenger door window.

"Good boy, Johnny," she mumbled to herself, "you just stay right there."

She took off running towards a tree directly behind the restrooms, reached it, and peered around from behind it back towards Johnny again. This time, however, the paramedic wasn't standing by the squad, he was headed off towards the Master's TARDIS! But, when Ace looked to where the Master's time and space machine _should_ be, she saw that it was gone.

_Bloody hell!_

Once again, she took off running.

* * *

Johnny reached the spot where the mysterious column had once been. He looked around but didn't see any way it could've been removed without him noticing. Looking down, he saw a large, round indentation in the grass where the thing - or _some_thing - had obviously been. _Well, at least I didn't imagine it,_ he thought, somewhat relieved. He knelt down and ran his hand over the crushed grass blades, and noted the ground there was warm, even though it was in the shade. "Well, now _that's_ strange," he said aloud. The grass was already starting to spring back up, so the item hadn't been there long enough to do any permanent damage, but if it had only just been removed while he was standing not that far away, where had it gone?

Johnny stood up and looked around. There was nothing to be seen but trees, grass, the rest rooms Ace had disappeared into, the playground which was now bustling with children playing on the equipment and grown-ups supervising, and the large hedge that ran along the back side of the park. Maybe it had been taken behind there, he mused, and loaded on a truck or something. He headed towards the hedge, intent on seeing if he could get to the other side and possibly find the column. As he approached, he saw Ace running towards the hedge as well.

"Why that little . . ." he started, but stopped that train of thought, and shouted towards her instead, "Ace! Hey, where're you going?"

He headed after her, and neared the space in the hedge about the same time she did; in time to see her run up against a blue . . . was that a _door_? In the hedge? It was! A blue door, for which she apparently had a key, since she seemed to be fiddling with a lock and finally opened the door. Johnny reached it soon after she disappeared behind the door, fighting the branches of the hedge as they clawed at his face and arms, ripping his shirt sleeve. He managed to get his foot inside before she could close the door completely, and with a slight shove, he forced his way inside.


	2. Out of This World Part Two

**Out of this World  
**_an Emergency/Doctor Who crossover story_

* * *

Disclaimer: _Emergency!_ and its characters are property of Universal Studios and Mark VII. _Doctor Who_ and its characters are property of the BBC. No copyright infringement is intended. This is just for fun. Enjoy!

* * *

**Part Two  
**

Out of This World – Part Two

The old, dingy grey column which had so piqued the curiosity of paramedic John Gage, and had so concerned the Doctor's travelling companion, Ace, materialized in a dark, dusty corner of a storage room in the basement of Rampart General Hospital. The dust was lifted into the air as the time and space machine belonging to the renegade Time Lord known as the Master, shimmered into its solid form. The Master, a lean, dark haired, bearded man dressed entirely in black, emerged smiling, eager to put his new plan into motion. He knew his arch nemesis, the Doctor, was undergoing surgery somewhere in the hospital, and had devised a way to get close enough to him to eventually remove him to the TARDIS. Soon, he would have what he'd been wanting for so long: A new body, specifically the Doctor's body, with it's regenerative powers, in which he could likely live forever. This body he presently lived in, one which he stole from a Trakkan man after his own body ran out of regenerations, was badly abused by the ravages of time, and his various failed battles with the Doctor, and would not survive much longer. He only survived now out of sheer will. The Doctor had a few regenerations left, and the Master hoped to be able to come up with a way he could live forever - preferably ruling the Universe, but he'd settle for a newer, healthier body right now.

The Master looked around him. Assured that no one else was present, he began looking for a way up into the hospital. He found a stairwell, and proceeded up to the main levels. He arrived in the Emergency department on the first floor, and due to the bustling activity there, was able to wander around almost unnoticed. He spotted a thin, blonde-haired nurse standing at a counter talking to a fair-haired man carrying a primitive communication device. The Master recognized him as one of the men who'd worked on the Doctor at the park. The Master flattened himself against the wall peering around the corner at them. When the man left, the Master approached the woman. She smiled up at him, asking if she could help him. His gaze bore into her eyes, hypnotizing her almost immediately. _Earthlings!_ he thought, amused,_They're so easy!_

"I am the Master, and you will obey me," he said steadily. "I am looking for the Doctor. You will tell me where he is."

"Doctor who?" she asked. "We have many doctors here, and . . . "

"The man known only as the Doctor," the Master interrupted. "He was brought in here earlier with a heart attack."

"Oh, yes," she said, recalling the strange patient being operated on upstairs, "he's still in surgery, but you're welcome to wait here." She indicated the public waiting area.

"No," the Master said, "I would like to see him now."

"Sir, you can't do that. He's in surgery. The doctors will let you know . . ."

He intensified his hypnotic hold on her, and she stopped, suddenly, confused.

"He . . he's on the fifth floor, operating room seven. There's a viewing area. You can watch the procedure from there." She struggled, but was unable to prevent the words from coming out. The Master smiled at her.

"Thank you, Nurse . . ."

"M . . . McCall," she stammered under his intense gaze, "Dixie McCall."

"Thank you, Nurse McCall."

The Master released his hold on her, and Dixie smiled slightly at him, not quite sure what she was being thanked for.

"You're welcome, sir," she said to the Master's retreating form.

* * *

Roy returned from the parking lot, where he'd gone to look to see if Johnny had arrived with the Squad, yet. He was wavering between being annoyed at his partner's tardiness, and concerned by it. Head nurse Dixie McCall was standing at the emergency station rubbing her right temple, looking pained and slightly confused.

"You okay, Dix?" he asked.

"Yeah," Dixie replied, but was unsure. "I just had a strange conversation with that man . . ." she indicated the hallway the Master had gone down, but didn't see him there. "Oh, he's gone now. Funny, I can't remember exactly what we were talking about. He asked me for a doctor, I think, but I can't remember what he said to me. He thanked me when he left, though. He seemed happy enough."

"Huh," Roy said. "Maybe you aught to lie down for a bit."

"Oh, no, no! I'm fine, Roy, really. I guess I'm so used to answering questions, I just do it automatically!" She noticed Roy looked concerned. It was silly, really, she was fine, and didn't want the paramedic worrying about her. "Hey," she said, smiling. "how 'bout a cup of coffee in the lounge while you wait for Johnny? He probably just got stuck in traffic, or something."

Roy hesitated a second, then decided, what the heck? Johnny should be there any minute, and he hadn't been able to get much coffee in him before their first run that morning. "Sounds good!" he agreed.

* * *

The Master arrived on the fifth floor and found the seventh operating theater with no problem. He immediately used his superior powers of mind control to set up a mental force field around the entire floor which would encourage most of the occupants to leave, and would discourage anyone from stepping foot onto the floor while he was there waiting to claim the Doctor. He slipped into the scrub room, and donned a white doctor's lab coat which was hanging on a peg. He slipped the nametag off into his pocket and went to observe the Doctor's surgery. As he entered the observation room, he saw two men, also in white lab coats, standing in front of the window watching the operation going on in the next room. He slipped quietly in behind them. The grey-haired man turned to look at him, and nodded a greeting, but didn't speak. The Master returned his greeting, and the man turned away. The three men stood quietly for a time before a disembodied voice echoed through the room.

_"Dr. Early to emergency room 2, please? Dr. Early to emergency room 2."_

"Rats!" declared the grey-haired man. "Hey, Kel, let me know how this turns out, will you?"

The other man said, "Sure thing, Joe."

Dr. Joe Early left the surgical viewing area, obviously disappointed, and the Master moved in to take his place. Now, the other doctor, taller and darker than Dr. Early, turned to nod a greeting to him. The Master nodded back. They stood silently for a moment before the Master spoke.

"So, this the man with two hearts I've been hearing about today?"

"Yes," the other man replied, "It's truly an amazing phenomenon! I can't wait to get a chance to talk to him!"

The doctor turned to the Master suddenly.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met?" he said extending his hand, "I'm Doctor Kelly Brackett, head of Emergency medicine."

"Dr. Masters," the Master replied clasping Dr. Brackett's hand. "I'm just in from Boston." He looked into Dr. Brackett's eyes, and used his mind to dissuade the physician from asking anymore questions.

Dr. Brackett looked confused momentarily, then nodded, turning back to the procedure before him.

"I don't recognize the surgeon," The Master said, casually fishing for information. "Who is it?"

"That, my friend, is the best cardiac surgeon on the west coast, Dr. Steven Langford. He just started here a little over a week ago, and boy, are we lucky to have snatched him away from UCLA!"

"Indeed!" The Master feigned impressed interest. He fingered the name tag in his pocket, running his fingers over the indented letters, smiling. "Indeed."

* * *

Roy looked at his watch for the fifth time in two minutes. Dixie sighed.

"Maybe Johnny's out there waiting for you," she suggested.

Roy shook his head. "No, he would've come in here, don't you think?"

"I don't know."

Roy picked up the HT from the table where he and Dixie sat drinking coffee in the staff lounge.

"HT 51 to Squad 51. How do you read?" he said into it.

Nothing.

"HT 51 to Squad 51; hey, Johnny, can you hear me?"

Again, nothing.

"It's just too bizarre," Roy said setting the HT down again. "It's really unlike Johnny to do this."

"Maybe he stayed to help with the fire."

"Yeah, maybe, but he wasn't supposed to; he was supposed to come in the Squad behind the ambulance. Well, it can't hurt to check." Roy picked up the HT again.

"HT 51, to Engine 51, do you read me?"

"Engine 51, I read you," Captain Stanley's voice crackled through the speaker.

"Hey, uh, Cap, is Johnny still there with you guys?"

"No, he was supposed to follow you into Rampart. He's not there?"

"No. I've tried calling the squad, but there's no answer. Was there an accident between there and the hospital?"

"None that I've been made aware of."

"Hang on, Captain, let me check something." Roy paused briefly staring at the Handi-talk, thinking, _'This is silly,'_ then said into it: "HT 51 to Station 51, do you read me?"

There was no response. Roy knew it was a long shot that Johnny would've gone back to the station without swinging by the hospital to pick him up, first, but he was quickly running out of ideas. He was also starting to get worried. Johnny wasn't with the squad, he wasn't with the Engine at the fire scene, he wasn't at the station, and he wasn't at the hospital. Roy tried to think, but other alternatives were eluding him. Suddenly an idea came to him. It was an idea he didn't like.

"HT 51 to Engine 51. Ah, Cap," he said into the HT, "I, uh, think I know where he might be." Roy said.

"I give up, where?" Captain Stanley asked, his tone dangerous.

"I, uh, I think he might've taken that girl back to Lakeview Park to pick up her friend's car." Roy said, and cringed, anticipating his Captain's response.

"You think he _what_?" Captain Stanley shouted.

Roy suddenly didn't want to continue the conversation, and was sorry he'd mentioned it. He squirmed uncomfortably in his chair. Even though his Captain was not in the same room with him, Roy could feel the man's steely gaze on him.

" Roy," the Captain growled, "You stay there. We're just finishing up here, and we'll swing by to pick you up, then we'll go check the park. Let me know if your AWOL partner shows up in the meantime."

"10-4," Roy said weakly. He looked over to Dixie who gave him a sympathetic smile.

Roy leaned back in his chair, lost in thought. It was not like Johnny to do something so unprofessional, even for a pretty girl. Of course, he remembered, they were _both_ going to do the exact same thing before. Then again, he countered himself, they were just going to drop her off, and head back to the station, remaining available the entire time, but then there was the fire, and everything else. Roy wondered if something had happened to the girl, but then he wondered why Johnny hadn't called it in. Or had he, and Roy just hadn't heard him; missed it while he was dealing with stuff here at the hospital? Roy was starting to feel restless. He grabbed the Handi-talkie off the table and started to get up.

"I'm going to go out and look around again."

Dixie stood up, too.

"Yeah, I'd better get back to work as well."

Together they left the lounge. Roy went out to check the parking lot again, while Dixie returned to the base station. Things had quieted down, some, and Dixie was relieved. The headache that had started after her conversation with the strange man earlier was still throbbing in her brain. The more she tried to remember the conversation, the more it hurt. She decided to just let it go.

Moments later, Roy returned, looking concerned. He set the HT down on the counter, and leaned on his hands.

"I don't like this, Dix," he said. "It's just not like Johnny to be so irresponsible."

Dixie was just nodding her head in agreement, when Chet Kelly, approached them, still donning his firefighter gear, his face smudged with soot and dirt.

"Hey, Roy," he said, "Nurse McCall." Chet tipped his helmet at her, smiling.

"Chet," Dixie said, "How are you doing?"

"Very well, thank you, ma'am," Chet replied politely, then turned to Roy. "So, that lazy, skirt-chasing partner of yours show up, yet?"

"No," Roy growled, annoyed by Chet's remark.

"Well, let's go see if he's messin' around in the park with that girl, then. Ma'am." Chet again tipped his helmet to Dixie, and he and Roy left the hospital. The Engine was waiting outside for them, and both men jumped on, Roy hanging on to the outside since there was no room for him in the cab. The engineer, Mike Stoker, deftly maneuvered the large engine out of Rampart Emergency's parking lot with the confidence and ease that years of experience behind the wheel provided him, and headed off to Lakeview Park.

* * *

Engine 51 arrived at the park, and came around to the side where Roy told them they'd worked on their first case that morning. What they saw stunned them all: Squad 51, apparently abandoned, sat in the parking lot of the park, the passenger door wide open. Johnny's turnout coat was lying on the back of the squad.

Roy jumped off the engine before it had come to a complete stop, and ran towards the squad.

"Johnny!" he called, looking around. The park was quite full with people now, but Roy didn't see Johnny anywhere, nor did he see the young woman he assumed Johnny would be with. The other firemen and Captain Stanley gathered around near Roy. Captain Stanley glanced in the cab, and noticed the microphone lying on the seat.

"I wonder if he called something in to dispatch," he wondered aloud, trying to remember having heard something while they were finishing up with the restaurant fire.

"You'd think we would've heard that, though," Roy said, reading his thoughts.

"Well, we were a little busy with that fire back there," Chet suggested, "We might've missed it."

"You may be right," Captain Stanley said. He reached into the cab to grab the mike, and noticed the keys dangling from the ignition. He hesitated only a second, before picking up the microphone and speaking into it.

"LA dispatch, this is Engine 51."

_"LA dispatch, go ahead Engine 51."_

"LA, did Squad 51 call a still alarm in to you within the last hour or so?"

_"One moment, Engine 51. Affirmative, Engine 51, Squad 51 responded to a still alarm at Lakeview park at 1135. No further contact has been made with Squad 51."_

"Have you _tried_ contacting Squad 51 since then?" Captain Stanley asked, slightly annoyed.

_"Negative, 51."_

Captain Stanley took a deep, cleansing breath before continuing. "LA, Squad 51 is presently parked at Lakeview Park, apparently abandoned. My paramedic, John Gage, is missing. Please respond the police to our location, and take Station 51 out of service indefinitely."

_"10-4, Engine 51 . . ."_

Captain Stanley turned back to his men, who were huddled around speculating at Johnny's whereabouts.

"Well, guys, it appears Johnny has gone missing. Now, I don't want to jump to any conclusions here, but considering the state he left the squad in, and the fact that dispatch hasn't had contact in over an hour, I'm afraid we have to assume something has happened to him."

The men exchanged worried looks, all except Chet Kelly, who always took peculiar pleasure in tormenting his colleague with pranks and practical jokes, and generally giving the man a hard time.

"Aw, c'mon, Cap," he said, "Nothing's happened to Johnny! Roy said it himself, Johnny was bringing that girl back here. I bet they're off in the bushes together, getting it on, you know."

"Chet!" Marco Lopez piped up, and reached over, whacking Chet on the arm. "You know Johnny better than that! You know he'd _never_ leave the Squad opened and abandoned like this for anything, least of all a _girl_!"

Mumbles of agreement ran through the other men, and despite what he'd said, in his heart, Chet knew Marco was right. Johnny may be a skirt-chaser, the perfect pigeon for his practical jokes, and an occasional pain in the ass, but he was always very professional when it came to his job, and responsible when it came to the Squad. Chet regretted the statement even before the others ganged up on him.

"Alright, everyone, just calm down," Captain Stanley said loudly. "_Shut up!_ Okay, why don't we all split up and start searching the park. The police are on their way and . . ."

The sound of sirens caused him to look up, and the rest of the men to turn around.

"Well, they're here now," the Captain finished.

Three police cars pulled up around them, and Officer Vince Howard stepped out of one, approaching the firemen.

"Hello, Hank, what's up?" he asked.

"One of my men, John Gage, appears to have gone missing. He was, ah, responding to a still alarm here at the park after responding to a fire a few blocks away, and hasn't been heard from since about eleven thirty this morning. We arrived here a few minutes ago and found the squad pretty much as you see here: Abandoned, the passenger door wide open, the microphone was just laying on the seat in the cab, but I replaced that after calling dispatch, and the keys are left in the ignition."

By this time, several other officers gathered around to hear the Captain's story. Vince sent them off to different sections of the park to search for the missing paramedic, and Chet, Marco and Mike joined them. Captain Hank Stanley didn't want to admit it, but he was very worried. Johnny Gage was one of the best firefighter/paramedics in the county, and was always, no matter what, the consummate professional when it came to his job. Pretty girl, or no pretty girl, Johnny would never abandon the Squad, leaving it wide open with the keys inside, vulnerable to theft or vandalism. The fact that he had, told Hank that something very bad had must have happened.

"Do you know if any drugs or equipment are missing, or anything?" Vince asked, beginning to scribble notes down on a pad of paper.

"I don't think so," Hank responded, "but, Roy, could you double check." Roy nodded and began to check the compartments.

"Everything's here, Cap," he said, "but, let me double check the drug box."

He pulled out the black box and set it on the ground, kneeling in front of it to open it. A small white packet lying on the ground just under the squad caught his eye.

"Hey, what's this?" He leaned over and picked it up. "An open packet of smelling salts."

"I wonder what that means?" Captain Stanley squatted down beside Roy.

"Johnny must've had to revive someone with this. Maybe the girl, Ace," Roy answered.

"If so, where are they now?" Hank asked, standing up again, walking around to the front of the squad. "Did she do something to him? Did they get jumped by a gang? What? Where the _hell_ is my paramedic!" Hank smacked the hood of the squad with his hand. He was angry with himself for initially thinking the worst of Johnny, for being pissed off at him, for thinking he was just screwing around. Hank knew better. Then again, Roy had confessed they'd both agreed to give that girl a ride to the park from the hospital in the first place, which was totally against policy, and something for which they'd both have to be disciplined. When Johnny was safely returned, of course. Latrine duty was probably the most hated chore at the station, but Hank thought perhaps Johnny would be better punished by being forced to take on cooking duty for a few weeks. Then again, Hank mused, that might be more of a punishment for the rest of his men, than to Johnny. _'Perhaps I'll make him mow the lawn . . .'_ Shouting voices yanked him out of his reverie.

"Vince! I've found something over here!" A police officer shouted from the hedge across the park from them, and at the same time, Chet hollered, "Cap! I've found something here on the rest room window!"

Vince and Hank headed off to the hedge, while Roy and another police officer went to check out Chet's discovery. The hedge produced a torn piece of blue fabric, which when compared to the other firemen's uniforms, appeared to be a match, and likely came from Johnny's shirt. Several branches were broken off, and a large square shape could be seen indented in the dirt. Several sets of footprints could also be seen in the dirt surrounding it. A further search revealed no more footprints around the hedge, and nothing beyond it besides the road which ran behind the park. Chet's discovery was a small piece of torn fabric as well, which was caught on a sharp portion of the window frame of the women's rest room. Roy thought it might be from the black skirt Ace was wearing. He couldn't be sure, but maybe. It was enough. Vince called for detectives, and the two areas of the park were taped off. Although the men from Station 51 wanted to help in the intensified search, Vince convinced them to let the police do the work now. The detectives interviewed all of the firefighters regarding the appearance of the scene when they first arrived, Chet was asked about his discovery by the rest rooms, and Roy told them about finding the packet of smelling salts under the squad. Afterwards, they were told they could leave, but they all chose to stay and, if nothing else, observe. Periodic calls were made to both the Station and Rampart General Hospital to see if Johnny had turned up in either place, but he hadn't. No more clues were found at the park, and as the afternoon wore on, hope started to fade.

* * *

"That is one amazing story, Ace," Johnny Gage shook his head in disbelief and leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms above his head.

"It's all true, I promise you," Ace replied, shifting slightly herself. She couldn't believe she'd just told this man she hardly knows her whole life story, plus everything she knew about the Doctor, the Master, Time Lords, time travel, alien life forms, and visiting other planets. To her amazement, the paramedic seemed to take it all in stride, interrupting her narrative occasionally to ask questions, and seriously considering her answers. She supposed it helped that he'd seen the TARDIS, which is infinitely larger on the inside than it appears outside, and that she'd taken him on those two little excursions afterwards. It seemed to open his mind to other possibilities.

"You know," he was saying, "I always wondered if there was life on other planets. I mean, there's so many stars up there, you gotta think, you know, maybe _some_where there might be _some_thing!"

"Well, now you know: There is, and lots of it!" Ace smiled, feeling better than she had in some time; getting all that off her chest was huge relief.

Johnny returned her smile. Initially, he thought she'd managed to slip him some PCP, because the box he'd followed her into was in no way big enough to contain all he'd seen inside. The place was _huge_! But, Ace explained to him that the TARDIS - short for Time and Relative Dimensions in Space - was designed to be larger on the inside than it was on the outside, and that it could travel through time as well as space. Johnny had not believed her at first, of course, because, well, that was impossible, wasn't it? But, she proved it to him by taking him back in time a couple weeks to an accident he and Roy and the rest of Station 51 had responded to, where a man had run a stop sign and smashed into a graffitied Volkswagen van full of wannabe hippies. It was a bit disconcerting, he had to admit, to watch himself and Roy from distance working on the victims, particularly when he remembered the rescue so well. Afterwards, she dropped them in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, where he'd stood, slack-jawed, staring at the steel marvel. Then she took him down to the TARDIS' cafeteria by way of a maze of white corridors, through a large, overgrown garden she'd called a cloister, past the bath room, which contained an Olympic size swimming pool, and down about twenty flights of stairs. There, over sandwiches provided by a rather common place vending machine, and a couple mugs of hot tea, she told him her story.

She told him about being a rather normal, if not unusually angry young girl in Perivale, England in the 1980's, still many years in John's future. She got into plenty of trouble before being blown up to another planet after a particularly nasty experiment with nitro-9 had gone awry (at which point, Johnny chastised her for messing around with explosives in the first place), and meeting the Doctor and eventually travelling with him. She told him about meeting unusual people and creatures, and fighting monsters and various other evil aliens throughout the Universe. The worst and most evil of all the monsters was a man Ace called the Master, who, like the Doctor, was a Time Lord - a supreme race of humanoid beings who had two hearts, and the ability to regenerate their bodies twelve times before finally dying at a ripe, old age. The Doctor, Ace told him, was around 950-some-years-old, and was currently in his seventh regeneration. The Master had apparently squandered all twelve of his regenerations early on, and had to resort to stealing a body to survive. That body was now weak and badly damaged, Ace had said, and the Master was looking for a new one. The body he wanted, however, was the Doctor's, and he'd recently made an unsuccessful attempt to get it.

"So, let me get this straight," Johnny said becoming serious once again, and absently scratching at the thin, red lines that marked his left forearm and part of his face from his encounter with the shrub at the park, "This Master fella wants to steal the Doctor's body for it's regenerative properties, and eventually come up with a way to keep the body alive forever?" He cocked his head to the side as if trying to make sense out of what he'd said.

"You've got it," Ace said.

"And, if he does this . . ."

"He'll be even more powerful than he is now, and tons more dangerous. Ultimately, I think he wants to take over the entire Universe. It would be horrible, Johnny! He's pure evil!"

"Well, then we have to stop him, huh," Johnny said warily.

"I don't know if we can, alone. The Professor has been trying to defeat him for decades, and even he . . ." Ace gasped as she suddenly remembered. "The Professor! The Master's probably gone to the hospital to get him. He won't be able to defend himself!"

"Ace, calm down," Johnny said. "Just calm down! We won't accomplish anything by panicking. Okay? Now, we just need a plan, okay? Okay." He thought for a moment. "Now, why don't we go back to the hospital and we can check on the Doctor. I don't think we need to worry about him, though. He's been in surgery, so he's been safe from the Master, but he might be out of surgery by now. If so, he'll be in a special recovery area. They don't let just anyone in recovery. The hospital's real strict on who the let in to see patients."

"You don't know the Master," Ace said darkly. "He can hypnotize people. He can be very persuasive."

"Oh yeah? Well, I know the people over there at Rampart, and they can be pretty persuasive, too!" Johnny grinned at her, hoping to cheer her up some. It didn't seem to be working.

"Okay," he said, seriously. "Anyway, it's time we got back, so you can check on your friend and I can check in with my station. I can't even imagine the amount of trouble I'm in right now! They're probably running around going _'Where's Johnny? Where's Johnny!'_" He tried to laugh, but the gravity of the situation was beginning to sink in. He hadn't realized it until just then, but he'd been gone a long time, and had just left the squad sitting there, unattended at the park. He was in very, very deep trouble, and he knew it. At the same time, he also knew the Doctor was in danger, and Ace could never take on this Master guy alone.

"Oh, God, Johnny, I'm so sorry!" Ace hadn't even considered what the consequences might be for Johnny. She felt badly that his job may suffer because of her.

Johnny laughed, having already decided to help Ace and the Doctor, and take the punishment dealt him - _whatever_ it was - later.

"Oh, don't worry. Yeah, I'm in trouble, and I'll probably get latrine duty for a _year_, but it won't kill me! Besides, I'm a rescue man, and it sounds like your friend is in need of some serious rescuing!" He flashed her another charming, crooked grin. "Let's go!"

* * *

Ace materialized the TARDIS in what Johnny assured her was an unused storage area of Rampart General Hospital's basement. From there, they could go up to Emergency, and find out from Dixie, the Head Nurse, where the Doctor was. Johnny initially thought about calling the police in to protect the Doctor and hunt down the Master, but decided against it, because his story would probably not be believed, or, worse: He would be considered a nut job, and end up locked up in a rubber room. No, he decided, they would be on their own.

They stepped out of the TARDIS, and headed in the direction of the elevator. An out-of-place, but familiar object in the corner caught Johnny's eye, and he stopped staring in amazement. "Hey, Ace!" he whispered sharply.

Ace stopped in her tracks. "What!" she said, annoyed. She wanted to go find the Doctor and see that he was alright. She did not want to check out any of the old, moldy, dust-covered medical crap that was down in this stupid basement.

"I think our friend the Master is here," Johnny said simply, and pointed to the tall, grey, dingy column standing conspicuously in the corner.

"Oh, God!" Ace's heart dropped. The Master _was_ here.

Johnny turned and headed purposely towards the elevator snagging Ace along the way. There was no time to stand around and speculate on the worst. They needed to get to the Doctor right away.

The elevator doors opened on a relatively empty first floor. Johnny saw Dixie pouring over some paper work at the nurses station, and went straight for her.

"Hi, Dix!" he gave his customary greeting. Dixie jumped at the sound.

"My goodness you startled me!" She exclaimed, then realizing who she was speaking to, turned into a scolding mother: "John Gage! Where have you _been_? Do you know we've all been worried _sick_ about you? Do you know half the _county_ is out looking for you?"

Johnny was taken aback. "Huh?"

" Roy has been calling here all day to see if you've been brought in here!" Dixie continued her tirade. "All your crewmates are at Lakeview Park looking for you, not to mention the police department, detectives, I think they've even called in the F.B.I.!"

"The F.B.I.!" John paled. It was worse than he thought. But, he couldn't worry about that now. "Look, Dix, never mind that, we need to know where the Doctor is."

"Doctor? Doctor who?"

"My friend," Ace stepped up to stand next to Johnny. "The man Johnny and Roy brought in this morning."

"Oh, him," Dixie said, her headache once again beginning to throb.

"Yeah, him," confirmed Johnny. "Where is he now?"

"He should be getting out of surgery about now. Kel hasn't come down, yet - he was observing - but it should be over by now. He'd be in recovery, your friend. Fifth floor, OR 7."

"Thanks, Dix," Johnny said as he and Ace headed back to the elevator.

"Hey, wait a minute," Dixie called after them. "Johnny, aren't you going to call Roy and tell him you're okay?"

Johnny skidded to a stop and went back to her.

"Look, you said he'd been calling here all day, right? So, he'll probably call here again soon, right?" Johnny said matter-of-factly. "So, feel free to tell him yourself. I'll be gone for a little while more. Sorry, Dix, but this is really important. Maybe someday I'll tell you all about it."

The elevator door opened, and Ace got on, calling to him. "Sorry!" he said again, as he sprinted down the hall to catch the elevator before the doors closed.

Dixie was left shaking her head in disbelief. "Important? Is it important enough to scare your friends to death, or risk your job? Your career?" she asked the vacant space where Johnny had stood.

* * *

Johnny and Ace arrived on the fifth floor to an intense sense of foreboding. They looked at each other realizing they both felt very uncomfortable being there, and really wanting to leave, but the Doctor was in danger, and taking a deep breath, Johnny grabbed Ace's hand, and stepped off the elevator with a fierce determination. They hurried down the corridor on the fifth floor looking for the seventh operating theater. They were just passing the scrub room, when Johnny heard a moaning sound coming from inside. He stopped, instinctively responding to the sound of distress, and went through the door. Inside, he found Dr. Kelly Brackett lying on the floor, the right side of his head bleeding from a rather nasty scalp gash; he was just regaining consciousness.

"Doc!" Johnny yelled, and immediately knelt down beside the physician and started checking him over. Ace came through the door and stood there, half inside the scrub room and half in the corridor.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Someone's jumped Dr. Brackett," Johnny said, still ascertaining the doctor's injuries. "I think he'll be okay, but he'll probably need stitches on that cut. Doc? Can you hear me?"

"John?" Dr. Bracket said groggily. "Johnny Gage, is that you?"

"Yeah, Doc. Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"No," Dr. Brackett said, trying to sit up. "I don't think so."

"What happened?" Ace asked again.

"I'm not sure," Dr. Brackett replied. "I was talking to Dr. Masters from Boston about this fascinating case of a man with two hearts! You know, John, the guy you and Roy brought in. We were observing the bypass surgery being performed on the man by our new cardiologist, Steve Langford, and when it was over we went to congratulate Dr. Langford on his successful performance, and to ask him some questions about the patient. I was talking to Dr. Langford, when suddenly I got whacked on the head. I don't remember anything after that."

"Okay, Doc. Can you stand?" Johnny asked him.

Dr. Brackett started to stand up in reply, and Johnny helped him.

"I think I'm okay, Johnny. I just have one hell of a headache!"

"Okay, well, let's get you into a treatment room or an office, or something, so I can check you out, and at least get you bandaged up." Johnny helped support Dr. Brackett, and they turned to go out the door, when Johnny suddenly stopped.

"Wait! What's that?" he pointed to something leaning up against the wall in the corner behind the door. Ace stepped into the room, letting the door close behind her, gasping at what she saw.

"The Master!" she exclaimed.

"Dr. Masters!" Dr. Brackett exclaimed at the same time.

They looked at each other confused.

Johnny left Dr. Brackett leaning against the sinks, and went to check on this second victim. He tried to get a carotid pulse. Nothing. Johnny pressed his head against the man's chest, listing for a moment, then leaned back.

"Nothing," he said. "This man's dead."

"Oh, my God!" Dr. Brackett exclaimed, then suddenly remembered. "Dr. Langford! He was in here, too!"

Johnny began to make a search of the scrub room for the other physician, but came up empty. "He's not here."

"Where could he be?" Dr. Brackett wondered concerned.

"Johnny!" Ace said as a horrible thought crossed her mind. "I don't think this is the Master!"

Johnny looked at her. "But you just said . . ."

"I know what I said," she interrupted him, "but, remember what I was telling you earlier, about the Master stealing bodies?"

Johnny did not like what he was hearing; did not like the thought that had just occurred to him. "Do you mean . . ."

"I think so, Johnny." Ace said simply.

"Well, could one of you enlighten _me_, please!" Dr. Brackett demanded, annoyed.

"I believe this man, known as the Master, switched bodies with your Dr. Langford. I believe the Master is still alive in Dr. Langford's body, and that Dr. Langford was pushed into this body, which was already dying. Dr. Langford obviously didn't have the mental strength to keep it alive." Ace explained.

Dr. Brackett looked at Johnny, wincing at the pain that shot through his head with the movement. "Is she joking?"

"'Fraid not, Doc," Johnny said, seriously. "Look, I know it's hard to believe, Doc, but I've seen things today I never imagined in my whole life. I witnessed a moment of my life from two weeks ago, and saw the Eiffel Tower in the course of 20 minutes . . ."

"What the hell kind of drugs are you on, John Gage?" Dr. Brackett yelled.

"I'm not on any drugs, Doc, I promise you! Look, I'm telling you, I've _seen_ these things, and I've ex_per_ienced these things, and they were _real_, every single one of them! And, if Ace says that the Master is now impersonating Dr. Langford, then I believe her." He paused, taking a deep breath to keep himself calm. "Look, this has just gotten a _lot_ more serious. Okay. You two better stay here, I'm going to find the Doctor and bring him here," Johnny held up his hands to silence Dr. Brackett, who was just about to protest the plan. "I know, I know, we shouldn't move him so soon after major surgery, Doc, but I think we should take him someplace safe. Then I'll look at that head wound of yours, Doc, and we can both keep our eyes on the Doctor's condition."

"Wait, Johnny," Ace stepped in front of him, blocking his exit. "I don't like you going out there alone. The Master is out there! I've told you how dangerous he is, and he's already killed one man today!"

"Yes, and the Doctor is vulnerable to him, now! Look, Ace, the Master knows you, he's seen Dr. Brackett, and knows him, too. He's never seen me. As a paramedic, I can walk around here freely and get in to any room I want without question. I'm going to go do that now: I'm going to go get the Doctor. I'll swing by and pick you guys up, and we'll go someplace safe, wherever that may be."

"The TARDIS would be best," Ace told him, reluctantly agreeing with his plan. "The Master won't be able to get to us in there."

Johnny nodded his agreement. Ace stood aside, and let him by. Dr. Brackett had watched the whole exchange with amazement, but said nothing. The whole thing was making his head throb more than ever. Johnny opened the door, and peeked out side. "Okay, it's clear. I'm going. Stay here!"

He slipped outside, slowly letting the door fall shut behind him. He made his way around the corner to the main corridor, and headed down to where the recovery rooms were located. The entire floor was eerily quiet and appeared to be empty, and instinctively Johnny peeked behind the nurses station to make sure there were no more victims of the Master around, and found the station abandoned. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end as he continued down the corridor, straining to hear any sound of other people, but hearing nothing but the beeping, pulsing, and whirring of life sustaining equipment. He reached the first room, and slowly opened the door, carefully looking inside. It was empty. So were the next two. His heart sank as he imagined the Doctor in his vulnerable post-operative state being at the mercy of a man capable of moving his spirit into another body, and repelling the spirit that had been residing there first. Finally, he entered the final room to find a patient hooked up to several pieces of equipment. He walked over to the gurney and immediately recognized the Doctor.

_Thank God!_ Johnny let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Quickly he scanned the room to make sure it was empty, before returning to the Doctor's side. He checked the equipment and found the Doctor was stable, and doing amazingly well. He quickly removed all the unnecessary equipment, and moved the gurney towards the door. Slowly, he opened the door, and looked up and down the corridor. Still empty. Johnny's heart raced. This was all too weird! This floor is usually very busy with nurses, doctors, orderlies, patients, patient's families. Now it was completely deserted. Johnny figured this was the Master's doing, but he did not want to think how he'd accomplished it. He propped the door open, and wheeled the gurney out into the hall, heading back towards the elevator and scrub room, where Dr. Brackett and Ace were waiting. He was nearly to the end of the corridor when an office door before him opened, and a tall, thin, blonde-haired man stepped out of it.

"Just where do you think you're going with that patient?" he demanded.

The combination of the white lab coat he was wearing, and the stethoscope around his neck, told Johnny this man was a doctor. The I.D. pin on his coat that read _Dr. Langford_, however, told him this man was probably _not_ a doctor at all, but, very likely, the Master instead. Johnny froze. Everything Ace had told him about this man came to him at once, terrifying him. He realized he was way out of his element! He was a fireman, for Chrissakes, a paramedic! He had no business messing around with crazy men from outer space who could steal people's bodies and wanted to take over the Universe. At the same time, he knew this patient lying on the gurney was in grave danger from the man standing before him, and Johnny had to come up with some way to get them both out of here in one piece. Suddenly a fragment of an idea came to him.

"I have been instructed to remove this man," Johnny said in a level voice, trying to remove all emotion from his face.

"On who's authority?" Dr. Langford/the Master asked.

"The Master," Johnny said simply, and noticed with amusement as the brief look of surprise ran cross the man's face.

"Well, this man is my patient, and I order you to return him to the recovery room at once!"

"I cannot do that," Johnny said blandly. He desperately wanted to run away, but, instead, he locked his knees and stood his ground. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ace peering around the corner, obviously alerted by the sound of their voices. He prayed she'd come up with a conclusion to his plan.

"You _can_, and you _will_!" the man insisted, moving slowly towards him, his eyes boring deep into Johnny's soul. "_I_ am the Master, and you will obey _me_!"

Johnny suddenly felt compelled to release the Doctor into the man's care. It suddenly seemed like the reasonable thing to do. But, wait, wasn't this man dangerous? Johnny became confused. He was still locked eye-to-eye with the Master when he heard a dull_thunk_ and the sound of breaking glass, and the Master crumpled to the ground. Johnny looked up to see Ace standing there, then looked down to see the Master unconscious on the floor, a broken vase, spilled water and a bouquet of disheveled flowers surrounded his head. Johnny's mind was muddled; he shook his head to clear it.

"What the . . ."

"The Master tried to hypnotize you, Johnny," Ace informed him. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I think so," Johnny said, but his head hurt a little. Dr. Brackett had come around the corner then, and tried to look him over, but Johnny waved him away, so he checked on the patient on the gurney instead.

"Really," Johnny said, "I'm fine, now. What about this guy?" He knelt down beside the Master, quickly checking his pulse and respiration, more out of habit than out of any real concern for the man. "He'll be fine," he decided. "C'mon, we'd better get out of here before he wakes up!"

Johnny started pushing the gurney from behind, with Dr. Brackett on the left side, guiding it towards the elevator. Ace ran ahead and pressed the down button several times.

"C'mon, c'mon!" she muttered, anxiously waiting for the light to move up the row of numbered buttons lined above the elevator doors. It was stopped on the first floor, and seemed to take forever to start moving up. When finally it did, the three let out a collective breath, then looked around from one another and shared a brief, nervous laugh. The elevator stopped at the third floor, and Johnny groaned his displeasure.

"Dammit!" he swore, "Hurry up!"

"Never mind the elevator," came a chilling voice behind them, "you won't be going anywhere, _any_ of you!"


	3. Out of This World Part Three

**Out of this World  
**_an Emergency/Doctor Who crossover story_

* * *

Disclaimer: _Emergency!_ and its characters are property of Universal Studios and Mark VII. _Doctor Who_ and its characters are property of the BBC. No copyright infringement is intended. This is just for fun. Enjoy!

* * *

Part Three  


Johnny, Ace and Dr. Brackett turned to find the Master standing in the middle of the hallway. He put his hand to the back of his head, and brought it forward again, stained with blood. "Very clever, Ace, bashing me over the head with that vase," he said. "Unfortunately for you, however, this body seems to possess a pretty thick skull."

"Dr. Langford?" Dr. Brackett asked uncertainly, "Steve?"

"Ah, Dr. Brackett," the Master crooned mockingly. "I'm impressed! Your skull is quite substantial as well."

Dr. Brackett's blood ran cold at the menacing tone, and the implication of the words made his head throb. This person standing before them looked like the Rampart General Hospital's new cardiologist Steven Langford, even sounded like him, but this was a colder, more sinister, more evil Dr. Langford. Dr. Brackett looked to Ace and Johnny, and found they both seemed resigned to this turn of events, although neither of them looked happy about it.

"I'll thank you to return my patient to me," the Master said, removing a short, black, stick-like object from his lab coat pocket and pointing it at them.

"No." Ace and Johnny spoke together.

The Master smiled, amused by their bravado.

Johnny heard the elevator doors finally slide open behind them. He turned and quickly shoved the gurney carrying the Doctor back into the elevator, barely registering the fact that the car was full, shouting at Ace and Dr. Brackett: "Go, go, _go_!" He herded them into the elevator and turned around, instinctively using his body to shield them.

There was no sound, but a bright beam of light emanated from the Master's black stick, and slammed into Johnny's chest like a prizefighter's fist, knocking the air out of his lungs. Behind him, Johnny could hear several voices calling out to him, and heard the elevator doors swoosh shut. He stood frozen, attempting to inhale, but finding his lungs and his chest constricted, as though he was bound in a tight, crushing embrace. Pain unlike any other he'd experienced exploded throughout his body, radiating out from his chest up to his head, out to his arms, and down to his feet. He had the strange sensation of floating, or falling, and in some way, shape or form, he felt as though he was _shrinking_, as if the very flesh and bone of him was being made smaller, more compact, like a piece of paper being crumpled up in a giant fist. The ceiling suddenly seemed a very long way away, and the walls suddenly became taller and taller, and even the Master appeared to loom larger above him. Despite not being able to take a breath, Johnny found somehow he could still scream, as the sound of his own agonized cry mingled with the Master's maniacal laugh and echoed in his head.

* * *

Ace backed up until she bumped against the interior wall of the TARDIS, her hands in front of her, attempting to fend off the onslaught of questions and demands of the advancing firemen.

_"Who are you?" _

_"What is this place?" _

_"Who was that doctor that shot Johnny?" _

_"What the **hell** is going on here?"_

"Please," she begged, "please, let me explain!"

_"SHUT UP, YOU TWITS!"_

Chet, Marco, Mike and Roy went silent, and all but stood at attention as their Captain's voice bellowed authoritatively though the control room. Ace had lead them there after the elevator landed in the basement, and the four firemen and their Captain along with Dr. Brackett were gobsmacked by what they found behind the doors of the blue Police Box, which itself was an anomaly. Nothing could have prepared them for a box that was bigger on the inside than on the outside. Neither could they be prepared for what they saw happen to their friend and colleague, Johnny. They had been headed up to fetch the wayward paramedic based on information provided by Dixie McCall, who had told them Johnny was alive and well and wandering about Rampart with the girl, Ace. They had not expected to arrive on the fifth floor, and have a gurney with an unconscious man shoved into the elevator car with them, along with Ace and Dr. Brackett. They had not expected to see, before the elevator doors had closed on them, a man wearing the long, white lab coat of a medical doctor shooting a beam of light at Johnny, striking him full on, and enveloping his entire body in a bright green glow; nor were they prepared to hear his agonizing scream. The onslaught of questions and demands had begun in the descending elevator, and had only escalated when they entered the TARDIS.

Once the situation was under control, Dr. Brackett took the opportunity to check on the Doctor's condition. Roy didn't wait for permission from Captain Stanley, but moved over to help, and to examine the bloody area on Dr. Brackett's head he'd noticed.

"I'm fine, Roy, really," Dr. Brackett said as Roy began poking around the injured scalp. "It's just a small laceration, it's pretty much stopped bleeding now. I've just got a small bump and a hell of a headache." He tried to smile, but it came out more of a grimace as Roy probed a particularly tender spot around the cut.

"Still, I'd like to patch that up for you . . ." Roy began.

"We don't really have time for that now," Dr. Brackett insisted.

Roy sighed. _Stubborn!_ he thought, then decided to change the topic.

"How's he doing?" Roy asked, indicating the Doctor.

"Amazingly well," Kel answered, trying not to sound so surprised, but finding it hard not to be. Here was a man who had just come out of open-heart surgery not too long ago, and had since been removed from his recovery room, shoved into an elevator full of firemen, and rushed into what could only be described as an alien ship, and he was perfectly stable, his colour was good, and Dr. Brackett could swear the incision was actually starting to heal!

"Well, goodie for him!" Chet could stay quiet no longer. "What about Johnny?"

"Shut up, Kelly!" Captain Stanley shouted.

"Dammit, Cap, Johnny was _shot_. We all saw him get hit with that . . . thing . . . before the elevator doors closed. He could be wounded, or . . . or. . . dammit, Cap, we've got to go after him! We're his only hope!"

"Kelly, you twit, we're in a hospital!" Stanley argued. "There are probably doctors and nurses swarming all around John, helping him, right now!"

"No, Cap, you're wrong!" Chet insisted. "That floor was empty! There's no one there, except that crazy doctor who shot John!"

"That's ridiculous!"

"No, it's not, Cap! Didn't you feel it? That . . . that . . . _feeling_ of really not wanting to be up there? I . . . I can't explain it, really. Just a feeling, like someone, or some_thing_, was telling us to go away. But, we have to fight it! We have to go get John!"

Hank paused. He _had_ felt something as the elevator had approached the seventh floor, and he had really not wanted to go there at all. He probably would have turned back, had he not been so determined to find John Gage - mostly so he could beat the crap out of him for scaring them all like that, and for being so irresponsible, and just down-right stupid. No, there was no strange force, no one trying to keep them away. It sounded too much like science fiction, or some of those other weird things, like horoscopes and horror movies, that Chet was always into.

"Kelly, I'm sure it was just your imagination . . ."

"No, Captain Stanley, there _was_ something up there. A force field of some kind," Ace stepped up to stand by Chet, supporting his theory and offering a possible explanation: "I felt it, too, and so did Johnny. It was probably the Master using his mind control to clear out the floor where the Doctor was. So no one would interfere when he tried to steal the Doctor's body, and escape."

"Steal his _body_!" Hank exclaimed.

"As strange as it may seem, Captain Stanley, I'm inclined to agree with Ace," Dr. Brackett stepped up also. "I can't quite explain it, but I was up on that floor when this man," he indicated the Doctor on the gurney behind him, "was in surgery, and the floor was bustling with activity, as it should've been. Later, when Johnny, Ace and I were being threatened by Dr. Langfor. . . I mean, the Master, the place was, well, empty! I personally didn't notice any strange feelings, or felt like my mind was in someone else's control, but I _had_ just been whacked over the head, discovered the body of a man who'd apparently been murdered, and seen a highly respected cardiologist threaten us with a strange weapon, and eventually shoot John Gage with it as we escaped." He shrugged. "I can't even begin to explain all this, but I, too, believe that the fifth floor is empty, and I don't believe anyone is going to be going up there anytime soon."

"See, Cap?" Chet asked, "If anyone's going to help Johnny, it's going to have to be us."

Hank pondered what he'd heard. If Chet, Ace and Dr. Brackett were correct, and John Gage was alone up there, wounded, and trapped by a mad man, and surrounded by a force field of some kind that would prevent anyone else from going up there, then Chet was right: They really were John's only hope. Looking at Mike and Marco, and glancing over to Roy, who was pretending to check out the Doctor, but was really watching his Captain out of the corner of his eye, he could see their faces echoed Chet's sentiments. Like soldiers, firemen never left a man behind if there was any chance at all of recovery. Even if that recovery was for nothing more than a funeral.

Hank quickly considered his options, and decided they would have to go after John. Time was of the essence, he knew. Johnny had been shot by something, and could possibly be bleeding to death, but, still, it was important to know exactly what they were dealing with to prevent another Code I. This was not a warehouse fire, or a brush fire, or any kind of fire at all. This was not some guy who fell while rock climbing, or whose boat was capsizing on a lake. This was a Rampart doctor shooting a paramedic with a glowing green light. This was a strange girl, an unconscious man, and a battered and bleeding Dr. Brackett. This was a wooden blue box that was larger inside than out. This was an entire floor of a major hospital emptied by some sort of mental force field. This was outside the realm of his experience, and Captain Hank Stanley wanted to know exactly what he was dealing with.

He turned to Ace. "I need you to tell me exactly what we're up against here. We're firemen. We know how to fight fires and how to rescue people, but this . . ." he opened his arms, looking around the alien ship. "this is beyond us. What we saw happen to Johnny is beyond us. We've got to know what we're dealing with before we go out there. Before someone else gets hurt."

"Alright." Ace took a deep breath and gave her audience a quick overview of the TARDIS, space and time travel, the Doctor, Time Lords, and most importantly of all, the Master. It was a greatly condensed version from the one she'd told Johnny earlier, but they didn't really have time for in-depth details. She could see the firemen were eager to go after Johnny, even though there would be little to find, but she left that part out, for now.

When she had finished, Hank nodded thoughtfully. He tried to stay with her on most of it, but it was all so strange and bizarre, a lot of it just went right over his head. His main concern was to rescue Johnny, and he hoped they didn't run into this Master character along the way, because he sounded like bad news.

"What about this Master guy? How do we fight him when we get up there?" Hank asked.

"You won't have to: He won't have stuck around. He'll be off planning his next move," Ace replied.

Hank nodded, and turned back to his men. " Roy, you stay here with Dr. Brackett and the patient. We'll probably need your medical expertise, so we don't want you getting hurt. The rest of you men are with me. We'll go back up to the fifth floor via the elevator, grab Johnny, and get back down here quick."

The men nodded their understanding, and moved towards the door as Ace stepped forward.

"What about me, Captain?"

Hank turned and leveled a glare at her that made her take two steps back.

"You . . ." he growled, advancing on her. "You watch the outside of this . . . this . . . _thing_, just in case Johnny finds his way back here without us, or that crazy man gets down here before we get back. Okay, men, let's go."

Ace moved to the console, and activated the lever that opened the doors. When the men were through, she closed it again, and switched on the viewing screen which flicked to life on the wall behind her. Roy and Dr. Brackett moved to stand next to her, and together they watched the firemen head out to rescue one of their own.

Once outside, Hank turned to his men. "I don't know exactly what we're going to find up there," he said after a moment's contemplation. "But, I want all of you to keep your heads! I know you all care about Johnny; so do I, but we have to remain calm and professional, so we don't lose anyone else."

"Cap?" Chet spoke up quietly. "Is this a rescue operation, or a recovery?"

Hank looked at Chet, holding his gaze steadily. "I don't know, Kelly. I don't know."

* * *

The Master leaned back in the oversized, black leather chair and placed his feet, crossed at the ankles, on the edge of the dark, wooden desk, gloomily pondering the events of the day. He was miffed that Ace and her cohorts had managed to get the Doctor away from him, but he knew it was only a matter of time before he would get his hands on his prize again. He recalled the Doctor's TARDIS had still been at the park when he left, and he knew Ace wouldn't leave the hospital with the Doctor in such a vulnerable state. He had used his powerful gift of mental persuasion to convince everyone on the fifth floor that it wasn't a very good idea to stay there anymore, and had a mental force field in place to convince others it was not a good idea to stop there. He frowned, trying to figure out how Ace and that fireman were able to get through it, and to the Doctor. He didn't know how they'd managed it, and was glad he was able to take out his frustrations on the interfering fireman. The man's cries had been like music to the Master's ears, and he grinned now, chuckling, and closed his eyes, reliving his moment of triumphant revenge over and over.

* * *

Ace, Dr. Brackett and Roy continued to stare silently at the viewing screen long after Captain Stanley and the crew had disappeared. Finally, Dr. Brackett turned to Ace.

"I need to know what kind of weapon that was the Master used on Johnny. I need to know how to treat him when they get back here with him."

Ace had been dreading the question, but knew it was only a matter of time before either the physician or the paramedic asked her. She sighed and hung her head, searching for the right words.

"It's called the Tissue Compression Eliminator," she began. She looked up to face the two men, and found they both looked afraid and confused.

"It . . . basically it compresses living tissue . . . shrinks it."

"Shrinks it?" Roy shouted. "You mean that thing _shrank_ Johnny?"

"Basically, yes."

"That's impossible!" Dr. Brackett insisted.

"It's possible," Ace said sadly, "and, there's no way to fix it. No way to bring him back. I'm sorry. Johnny's dead."

* * *

The elevator reached the fifth floor, and the doors slid open. The corridor appeared empty, but, even so, Captain Stanley lead his men out cautiously. He was nearly overwhelmed by a strong sense of uneasiness, a desire to be anywhere but here, but he forced himself to move forward and step off the elevator. He heard the hesitant rustling of turnout coats, and shuffling of booted feet as his crew fell in behind him, and wondered if they were as uncomfortable here as he was.

It was so small, he almost missed it; very nearly tripped over it, but something made him to look down on the floor to see it before that happened. He stopped, felt someone - probably Kelly - bump into the back of him and mumble an apology, but he remained steadfast, staring down at the floor with growing comprehension and horror.

"Oh, God!" Captain Stanley's voice was a barely perceptible whisper. He fell to his knees repeating the oath over and over, and leaned to down to pick it up. _'Not possible! This is not possible!'_ his brain screamed, but his eyes beheld the truth: Lying before him on the shiny linoleum hospital floor was John Gage, his once tall, lanky frame reduced to the size of a Barbie doll. Captain Stanley barely registered the horrified cries of his men as they reacted to what they saw, as he gently picked up the body. It was barely a foot long, and was still warm, but was quite obviously not living. Hank held the weight of it in both his hands, watching the tiny arms and legs flopping lifelessly as he shifted it, swallowing hard against the bile that rushed up into his throat. Without speaking, he moved onto one knee, then shakily got to his feet, his eyes never leaving the body in his hands. He turned and walked back to the elevator, which somehow had remained open. He didn't notice if his men followed him or not.

* * *

Dr. Brackett felt sick. If what Ace had told him about the weapon that hit Johnny was true, it was too, too horrible. He could not imagine the pain and agony the young man had gone through as he was slowly crushed to death within his own body. His mind raced with the knowledge that this mad man was running around loose in the hospital with a weapon capable of compressing human flesh. The sudden anger he felt towards the girl for not telling the firemen of the danger they were heading into, or what horror awaited them on the fifth floor, was short lived, as Ace announced the return of Captain Stanley and his crew. Dr. Brackett looked up to the screen to see three firemen in various states of shock returning to the TARDIS, lead by Captain Stanley who held a small figure in his hands.

Ace opened the door for them, and they entered. Roy and Dr. Brackett rushed to the Captain who held the body out to them, his eyes wide and pleading. Roy took one look at his dead partner, and turned away, unable to face it. Dr. Brackett flinched in horror, but dug deep inside himself in search of the calm, detached professionalism that was now needed. He reached up and carefully relieved Captain Stanley of his tiny burden, adjusting the weight in his hands.

"Is there somewhere we could lay him?" Dr. Brackett asked Ace quietly. She looked at the body of the young man, remembering only a few hours ago talking, laughing, flirting with him, remembering his charming, lopsided grin, his chivalrous act of opening the squad door for her, how she thought he seemed such a nice bloke. Now he was gone. Dead. Another victim of the Master. She nodded to Dr. Brackett, and without speaking, lead him out of the control room to an adjacent room, where the doctor laid Johnny's body on a small side table, and looked around for something to cover him with.

"Here, use this," Chet stood in the doorway, casting a tall shadow over Ace, Dr. Brackett and Johnny, holding a folded, crisp white handkerchief in his outstretched hand. Dr. Brackett reached out and took the handkerchief, unfolded it and covered John's body with it.

"You're sure he's dead, doc?" Chet asked, already knowing the answer, but feeling compelled to ask it.

Dr. Brackett turned and put his hand on Chet's shoulder, understanding what the man must be feeling. "Yes, Chet, I'm sure. I'm so sorry."

Chet nodded, staring at the draped form.

"Come on," Dr. Brackett said. "Let's go back to the others."

"Just a minute, Doc," Chet said. "I'd like minute alone with him, please."

Dr. Brackett nodded, and he and Ace left Chet alone.

* * *

Ace and Dr. Brackett returned to the control room to find the men silently dealing with the death of their colleague each in their own way: Mike sitting on the floor, his back against the wall of the TARDIS, head in his hands; Marco fondling the string of rosary beads he kept in his turnout coat pocket, his lips moving in silent prayer; Captain Stanley leaning against the TARDIS console, his eyes staring unfocused at the viewing screen; and Roy went through the motions of checking on the Doctor's condition, silent tears streaming down his face. Dr. Brackett moved to join him, then stopped, putting his hands in his lab coat pockets, and stood staring at the floor.

Seeing that the men needed time to deal with the tragedy, Ace quietly backed out into the corridor, and left them alone to grieve. She paused by the room where Johnny lay, where Chet was still standing over the small body, her attention captured by what she heard.

* * *

"God, Johnny, where do I begin? Damn! What the _hell_ happened, Gage? What were you _think_ing? But, that's just it, isn't it: You _weren't_ thinking! You're always getting yourself into scrapes, aren't you? Always leaping before looking. Always thinking about others before yourself. Always having to save people without any regard to your own well being! Hell, you even saved my ass a time or two as well, and you never seemed to care if you got hurt in the process, or not. I don't know that I ever thanked you properly. Not that you'd accept it at all, Mister It's-All-Part-Of-The-Job. But, really, seriously. Thanks, man! Thanks for everything. And, I don't mean for pushing me out of the way of falling beams, dragging my ass out of a burning warehouse, digging me out of a pile of debris, or patching up my scrapes and cuts - thanks for all those things, too, but, also, thanks for being the perfect pigeon. Were you truly that gullible, or were you just going along with it? Were you expecting to get soaked every time you opened the cupboard door, or got into your locker? Or were you just humouring me, Gage? Damn. I guess I'll never know, now. Farewell, my perfect pigeon! It's really too bad, you know? I had years worth of pranks to play on you! _Years_! I hadn't yet had the opportunity to put three-day-old Mackerel in your bed, or stuff pudding in your socks! I was going to fill your precious green ink pen with maple syrup, and hide all your clean uniforms in the hose tower before tricking you into opening the cupboard door, only to be smacked with a cream pie! I don't know how, or where, or when, but, I'll get the Master for this, Johnny! I swear to you! If I have to hunt him down to the ends of the Universe, I'll get him for this! If it takes me the rest of my . . ."

"I'll help."

Chet jumped and turned towards the voice, clutching his chest.

"Crikey, woman, don't _do_ that!"

"Sorry," Ace said sheepishly. She had been standing in the doorway listening to Chet's speech. She'd gotten caught up in his passionate promise of revenge, and spoke aloud without realizing it. "What did you have in mind?"

"I don't know, yet," Chet admitted, as his pulse and respiration returned to normal. "I don't suppose _you_ have any brilliant ideas?"

"Well, as a matter of fact," Ace stepped fully into the room, and headed over to the large table in the back, which was lined with a maze of tubes and glasses. Chet was amazed he hadn't noticed the almost complete chemistry lab that had been right behind him all along. Ace knelt down behind the desk, and came up holding a can of what appeared to be hair spray.

"Oh, great," Chet moaned, "what are you going to do with that? Give the guy a bad hair-do?"

"I'll have you know," Ace said, slightly offended, "that inside this innocent looking canister is a wickedly powerful bomb, made with my very own nitro-9!"

Chet blanched. Although the number nine meant nothing to him, the word nitro did.

"You've got nitro-glycerin in that can?"

"Yup!" Ace grinned and casually tossed the canister into the air, catching it again with one hand.

"God, Ace, don't _do_ that!"

"Don't worry," she said, "I know what I'm doing! I made this stuff up, remember?"

"Yeah, so you said," Chet said, unconvinced. He still wasn't sure he could trust this girl or not. In a way, he held her responsible for Johnny's death. It was this girl, after all, who'd convinced Johnny to help her and the Doctor; convinced him to rescue the Doctor from the Master . . .

Chet sighed and hung his head, shaking it sadly. No. It wasn't Ace's fault, he knew that. It was no one's fault. Johnny was just being Johnny. He probably volunteered to help them without ever considering the consequences. Of course, when you're a firefighter with the LA County Fire Department going off to rescue someone, you don't often consider the possibility of battling evil aliens, and being zapped by a beam of light and ending up a foot long; it just didn't come with the territory.

"You alright?"

Chet looked up to see Ace watching him, curiously, tossing the canister of nitro-9 back and forth between her hands.

"Yeah," he answered, his eyes following the canister like a tennis fan watching the ball at Wimbledon. "I was just thinking . . . hey, would you mind not doing that?"

"Oh, sorry."

"Anyway," he continued, "I was just thinking of paying that Master character a visit."

"Well, that's dense!" Ace snorted. "You saw what he did to your friend there," she waved her hand towards John's lifeless body. "He'd be more than happy to have you join him, I'm sure."

Chet sighed, "I'm not gonna just go up there and bust in on the guy, and attack him, or anything. I'm gonna sit down and talk with him . . .Time Lord to Time Lord."

Ace choked, coughing and sputtering, all the while trying not to laugh, or drop the nitro-9.

"_You_?" She managed finally. "You a Time Lord!"

* * *

Chet slowly opened the door, and stepped out onto the fifth floor of Rampart General Hospital. The entire floor was devoid of human life, as was the entire hospital by this point, he surmised, and he could easily understand why: An intense wall of energy surrounded this place; a firm mental _Keep Out!_ that most humans would just blindly obey. The message had not gotten through to Ace or Johnny, however, perhaps, he speculated, because it hadn't been as strongly established when they were here earlier. It had also not deterred Captain Stanley and his crew from coming to look for John Gage not once, but twice, but they were dealing with a strong determination to find their friend. Chet's glance fell to the shiny linoleum floor where the tiny body of Johnny Gage had been discovered. Such a waste! Johnny had been with the department for a few years, and was still a young man, and had a great future ahead of him. It was too bad, really. A great loss to the department, the city, hell, even the planet. Chet pulled his gaze away from the floor and headed off down the hallway in search of the doctor's offices, still unsure of what he would do or say, but knowing he had to do or say something.

Ace had given him all the information he needed to make a determination about the Master and his powers. He was pretty sure he would not be able to overpower the man mentally, and decided to go a different route. _If you can't dazzle them with your wit, baffle them with bullshit!_ Wasn't that how the saying went? His whole plan depended upon his ability to keep his head, to not get overly emotional, and to keep one step ahead of the Master. It would not be easy: Already he was struggling to keep his Irish temper in check.

Chet finally reached the door with Dr. Steven Langford's name on it. He knew that Dr. Steven Langford was not inside that office, even though the man he was about to face looked just like him. It wasn't him, though. It was someone else; someone who was evil, intelligent, completely devoid of a conscience, and very, very dangerous. He wondered for a moment what the hell he was doing. Why not just call the cops and let them take care of this killer? Huh. As if the cops would believe them. As if they could even _explain_ to the cops what they had seen, what had happened to Johnny, or who the Doctor or the Master were, or where they were from. No, they'd probably all end up in the psych ward, and that wouldn't help Johnny at all. Not that anything could anymore, but getting revenge on his killer, and keeping the man Johnny gave his life for safe, until he could recover and go on his merry way, might just make them all feel a little better.

He paused a moment, taking a deep breath and summoning up all his courage, before opening the door and striding in as if he owned the place.

* * *

Captain Hank Stanley paused at the threshold of the room, steeling himself. One by one, the men under his command at Station 51, as well as Dr. Brackett, had entered this room and paid their respects to one of their own, and now, it was his turn. He forced himself to move forward to the side table where a large white handkerchief covered the small, lifeless form of one of his men, John Gage. As a firefighter, an engineer, and now a Captain, Hank knew the dangers of the job, and often lay awake nights wondering how he would handle the death of one of his men, if it ever happened. He tried to prepare himself by creating scenarios and composing speeches of what he would say to the man's family, friends, and to the rest of the crew. Now, his worst nightmare had come true: One of his men was dead, and he was completely unprepared to deal with it. He was still confused as to how all this had come about in the first place, despite Ace's explanation and Dr. Brackett's eye witness account, as well as what he himself had seen before the elevator doors closed. Time and space travel, people from other planets, a man who could steal people's bodies and had a weapon that could kill a man by shrinking his body to the size of a doll! It was too far beyond his comprehension.

Hank opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't find any words. John Gage had been one of the best firefighters Hank had had the privilege to lead, and had also been an amazing paramedic, despite his occasional obnoxious behaviour. To have been killed in such a horrific manner seemed like an insult to a man who dedicated his life to saving others.

Hank closed his mouth and sighed, then opened it and tried again.

"I don't know what to say, Johnny." His voice cracked, and he cleared his throat loudly before continuing. "John Gage, you were a damn good firefighter, a damn good paramedic, and a damn good man! I am proud to have had the opportunity to work with you, to get to know you. You always went above and beyond the call of duty - sometimes to your own detriment, but you never thought about yourself. The victims you were trying to help were always foremost in your mind. There are people alive and walking around enjoying their lives today because you were there to rescue them. You saved _so_ many lives! I'm sure there were many more people you were supposed to rescue, but for this . . . _this_! You deserved so much better than this! God! I don't understand _any_ of this, John! What the _hell_ happened? How the _hell_ did you end up in this situation? I . . . I keep thinking . . . this _can't_ be real! That this all has to be a bad dream, and any minute now the tones will go off, and I'll wake up. Wake up! I want to wake up, dammit!"

Finally, Hank let go. He'd remained stoic for the rest of his crew, letting them be as emotional as they needed to be, but, as their Captain, he felt had to hold it together in front of them, had to be strong in front of them, for them. But, now, alone in the room with the shrunken corpse of one of his best men, Hank let go, sinking to his knees, his head in his hands, he wept uncontrollably, knowing this was all too real, and knowing this was one nightmare from which he would never wake up.

* * *

The Master looked up, surprised to see a fireman standing in his office.

"Where's the fire?" he quipped.

"Heh. Very funny," the man said humorlessly, giving the Master a good, hard glare, and then began looking around the Master's office appreciatively.

"Niiiiice!" He wandered over to a cabinet where there was a lead crystal decanter half full of an amber liquid and several small crystal tumblers. Wordlessly, he picked up the decanter, removed the stopper, and poured a generous amount of liquid into one of the tumblers. Replacing the stopper and setting the decanter back down, he picked up the tumbler and examined the colour of the liquid. He held it out, swirling it in the glass, admiring the play of light on it. Bringing it back down, he stuck his nose in the glass and inhaled deeply, exhaling with a sigh. Finally, he brought the glass to his lips and drank deep, moaning with pleasure as the smooth liquid warmed his tongue and throat.

"Mmmm. Irish Whiskey! At _least_ 20 years old, I'd say by the complexity, and aged, if I'm not mistaken, in oak."

The Master raised his eyebrows, impressed by both the stranger's boldness and his appreciation for fine liquor. He watched the stranger silently wandering around the office, occasionally picking up items off the side table and coffee table, scrutinizing each with apparent boredom, and setting them down again before turning to closely examine the numerous diplomas and certificates of achievement lining the walls. Finally, the fireman came to sit in one of the two soft, overstuffed chairs in front of the Master's desk, sinking down into it, crossing his left ankle over his right knee.

The man eyed the Master steadily. "So, you're the one they call the Master."

"Yes, I am," the Master answered, frowning as he tried unsuccessfully to establish any kind of mental hold on the man sitting before him. "Who might you be?"

"I've heard of you," the man continued, ignoring the Master's question. "A long time ago. I remember hearing stories about you whispered in darkened corners. Your villainous exploits a part of the "Things Not To Do" list; horror stories used to frighten small children into obeying their parents."

"Indeed!" Despite himself, the Master's curiosity was piqued. Was this man a fellow Time Lord? And, if so, what was he doing here, on Earth, playing fireman?

"Yeah," the man said taking another sip of whiskey. "Never thought I'd ever meet you, though."

The Master did not reply but stared intently at the young man, trying to get into his head. The man squirmed slightly, his mustache twitching, but did not open up to him. The Master frowned. _'Only a fellow Time Lord or someone equally powerful could resist me!'_ he thought, and decided to proceed with caution.

"So," he said, "did the stories of my, ah, adventures frighten _you_?"

"Heck, no! I thought they were pretty cool!" The man sat up suddenly, leaning in towards the Master, with a mischievous grin on his lips, his brown eyes twinkling with excitement. "I've kept up on all of it: Daleks, Cybermen, your various attempts to take over the Universe, and of course, your continuing battle with the Doctor!"

"The Doctor! You're with that group who stole the Doctor out from under me, aren't you? Ace, and Dr. Brackett, and that meddlesome fireman!" he spat bitterly.

The man stiffened, eyes momentarily flashing anger. "Gage," he said evenly. "That 'meddlesome' fireman's name was John Gage."

He relaxed again, grumpily sinking back into the chair, once again crossing his legs. "That man had been a thorn in my side for years!"

"Then I did you a favour by eliminating him!" The Master beamed. "You should thank me!"

"Thank you?" the man cried indignantly, sitting up again. "_Thank_ you? I had him completely under my control - it took me _years_! I was having _fun_ with him! I'll never find a pigeon that gullible again!" He clenched his left fist, shaking it in front of the Master.

"My apologies!" The Master pouted sarcastically. His guest sank back into the chair again and glared at him, but whether it was out of annoyance for the comment or for the obvious disregard for the murdered John Gage, the Master couldn't tell.

"Look, do you want the Doctor, or not?" the man growled.

The Master pondered the question for a moment. Of _course_ he wanted the Doctor, but what would he have to do to get him?

"Alright, I'll bite," the Master said. "Yes, I want the Doctor."

"Fine," the man said. "I'll arrange to get his guard dogs outta the TARDIS, then I'll come get you, and you can grab the Doctor and go."

"And, just what do you want in return for this little favour?"

The man shrugged. "Well, I'd ask you to return Gage to me, but I don't suppose . . . " He looked up hopefully, letting the unasked question hang.

The Master shook his head. "I'm sorry, no. The Tissue Compression Eliminator is non-reversible. Something else, though. Transport off this miserable planet, perhaps?"

"I have my own means, thank you." The man said darkly, and downed the rest of the whiskey in one swallow slamming the tumbler on the Master's desk. "I'd better go. They're going to wonder where I am." He stood, swaying a bit, the whiskey having gone to his head quicker than he thought. He leaned on the desk to steady himself, then straightening up, he headed for the door. "I'll be back once I've gotten rid of the others."

"Would you care to borrow this?" The Master smiled and extended his arm, his open palm displaying the Tissue Compressor Eliminator. The man looked at it, and swallowed hard. The Master swore he looked a little green.

"No, thank you, " the fireman growled, his eyes never leaving the weapon. "I've got a plan."

He turned and started out the door.

"Wait," the Master's authoritative voice stopped the man in his tracks. He turned to face the Master once again.

"I didn't catch your name."

"I didn't throw it, " the man shot back, causing the Master to chuckle appreciatively.

They stood regarding one another for a long moment, neither gaze wavering. Finally, the man spoke again. "I am known as the Phantom," he said simply, and turned and walked out the door.

* * *

Chet walked quickly, but as nonchalantly as possible, down the corridor toward the stairs, the whiskey sloshing nauseatingly in his empty stomach. _'That drink might not have been a very good idea,'_ he thought. As soon as he reached the stairwell, and made it through the doors, he stumbled down a couple flights before collapsing on a bottom step, clinging to the metal railing for support. His stomach lurched violently, and as hard as he tried, he knew he would not be able to keep it in. He stood up, making it to the far corner of the landing before throwing up on the hard concrete floor.

_'Too bad,'_ he thought, _'That really was good whiskey.'_

When he finished, he returned to sit on the stairs, leaning his hot, sweating forehead against the cool metal banister, digging in his pocket for the handkerchief he usually kept there, found it was missing, and remembered why. He wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his turnout coat, instead. He hoped he was far enough away from the Master so the creepy bastard couldn't read his thoughts, as he relaxed his entire body and mind. That had been a lot harder than he expected, but he thought he'd done well. Thought he'd convinced the Master that he was willing to help get the Doctor; maybe even convinced him he was a Time Lord. Now, he just had to wait a while, before returning to bring the Master out of his office, away from his protective energy barrier, where the Phantom's ultimate, and final prank would be played out.

Chet rose, and made his way back to the TARDIS. Once inside, he went quickly and quietly past his friends, past their questioning glances, and the couple attempts to engage him in conversation, and back into the lab with Ace to put the final touches on the plans he'd drawn up, closing the door behind him.

The Phantom had always been a benevolent prankster. Although his victims - usually John Gage - ended up soaked with water or covered with shaving cream, they were never in any danger of physical harm. The Phantom's intentions were never cruel. His pranks were just his way of lightening the mood around the station for the men who spent their days risking their lives putting out fires and rescuing people. These men had spent many years at their job, and had seen things or experienced things that left them with nightmares, or doubts about their abilities. When tensions ran high, and morale was low, the Phantom went to work rigging water bombs to locker doors, or positioning plastic bags filled with water over doorways. It was his duty, he felt, to lighten the atmosphere a bit. He was careful not to go too far, however, and, occasionally, even got a taste of his own medicine. He was always a good sport about that, and would simply go about plotting his watery revenge. Yes, the Phantom was a master prankster, and he was about to pull off the biggest, most spectacular prank yet. This prank, however, would not be like his many others. It was not meant to liven the spirits of his comrades, to make them forget about the many horrors they witness during the performance of their duty, and laugh, if only for a moment. No. This prank was to be the ultimate revenge against the man who had violently murdered one of his best friends, and would be the Phantom's final prank.

The Phantom v. The Master. Chet smiled grimly. _Hell,_ he thought. _I could sell tickets!_ He went over to the side table and looked at the tiny lump lying beneath his handkerchief. He could not bear to lift the handkerchief up again, could not bear to see the shrunken body of his friend and colleague, lying beneath it. He'd seen it several times already, and the image was burned into his brain. He would never forget it. And he would not let the deed go unpunished. _Don't worry, Johnny, I'll get this guy! You just rest in peace, man, just rest._

Chet turned to look at Ace, sitting across the room from him, hunched over the lab table mixing chemicals, and managed a slight smile. The Phantom's new ally had approached him as he'd said farewell to his friend, shocked and horrified by Johnny's death, but also consumed by a burning rage he'd never known before: An intense desire for revenge that the others weren't quite able share. But, Ace did. She hated the Master as much as he did, and had seen this evil man murder many, many people, and destroy many, many lives. She'd never had an opportunity to exact her own brand of justice on him, however, until now, but she needed help. The Phantom was more than happy to help her rig up a prank that they both hoped would end with the Master's demise.

* * *

During the hours they spent together, the Phantom had divulged all his secrets to Ace, and included anecdotes to bring them to life. Ace laughed, declaring the Phantom her hero, although she confessed she would hate to be on the receiving end of any of the pranks. Remembering all the pranks he'd played on Johnny over the years made the Phantom sad and moody. He felt bad about all the times he'd gotten Gage, knowing how it occasionally annoyed the man he considered good friend. Sure, Gage had gotten him back a time or two, and occasionally the Phantom chose to pursue other prey, but more often than not it was Johnny who was getting soaked.

The plan was so simple the Phantom couldn't find a single flaw in it no matter how hard he tried. The only problem he could possibly see was the target himself: the Master. He had no way of knowing if the evil Time Lord would respond as anticipated. With Gage, it had been easy, that guy had been so gullible . . . Chet stopped short. _Had been._ Johnny _had been_ gullible. Chet was disgusted with himself. Johnny had only been dead a few hours, and already he was referring to his friend in the past tense.

"Yeah, some friend _you_ are!" Chet admonished himself.

"No, Chet, we need to leave this to the proper authorities!" Hank Stanley's voice rose a notch or two louder as he tried to get control over his suddenly irate fireman.

"But, Cap, that guy _killed_ Johnny!" Chet countered, undeterred by his superior's stern tone.

"I know that, Kelly, I was there, I saw it!"

"Then we need to get this guy!"

Hank sighed and dropped his head into his hands. Blocking out the light and scene before him brought back images of the horrific scene played out earlier: A whacked out doctor shooting his paramedic with a glowing green light. The image of John Gage's shrunken dead body followed, and refused to leave, even after he lifted his head again. He understood Chet's feelings; sentiments which seemed to be reflected in the eyes of all his men: revenge. Hank shared those feelings, too, but as the Captain, he was responsible for the behaviour of his men, and couldn't just let them run amok, getting back at everyone who crossed them. _Well, not everyone, _Hank thought. Just this one guy. Just the Master. Still. It was wrong.

"We should just go call the police. The F.B.I., or the S.W.A.T. team, even," Hank said wearily. "We can't take measures into our own hands!"

"But, Captain, the police won't be able to do anything about this," Ace insisted. "They won't be able to do anything against the Master!"

Hank regarded the girl carefully. She'd started out somewhat afraid of him, but had since lost her fear, having once again gotten control of herself, and if everything she'd told him about her life recently was true, she really had little to fear from a fire station captian.

"What makes you think we can do anything about the Master, then, if the police can't?" He asked.

"You've got me! I know the Master, know how he thinks, what makes him tick. His weaknesses."

"And you think we," Hank waved his hand around the room at the gathered audience, "could defeat this man?"

"Yes, Cap, we can!" Chet insisted.

"Please, Captain," Ace said, "just listen to what we have to say."

Hank felt his grip on the whole situation weakening, felt his command slipping away. His men, although not expressing it verbally, clearly wanted to follow Chet and Ace on their quest for revenge, and though it went against his better judgment and common sense, Hank found himself wanting a bit of revenge as well.

"So long as this caper only involved capturing the Master, not killing him, " Hank said, "I'm not going to be party to murder."

Chet and Ace high-fived each other and smiles and relieved sighs spread though men in the control room. Hank could've sworn he even saw Dr. Brackett's lips twitch into a grin, but he turned his back quickly to go through the motions of checking out his patient.

"So, do you two twits have a plan, or what, "Hank said returning his gaze to the still-celebrating couple.

"Oh, yeah," Chet beamed, "do we have a plan! Part one has already been completed, but I needed to get your cooperation to go on to part two."

Part one?" Hank asked, "What was part one?"

"Make contact with the Master," Chet said simply.

"Make _what_!" Hank bellowed as the implication struck him. "You've made contact with that maniac?"

"Yeah, Cap," Chet said nonchalantly, "It was no big deal."

"No big deal!" Ace snorted, "You told me you were so scared you puked in the stairwell!"

"Shut up!" Chet whined as his crewmates snickered around him. "It was the whiskey, it made me sick!"

"Whiskey!" Hank growled, gleaming some satisfaction from the fact that Chet actually cringed at his tone. "Drinking on the job, Kelly, is grounds for dismissal!"

"I know, Cap, but," Chet started.

"Don't "but" me, pal," Hank countered.

"Now, Cap, really, it's not like we're on duty or anything, really," Mike Stoker's calm voice interrupted. He paused, blushing slightly as everyone stared at him. "I mean, it's not like we're going to get a call, and be able to run out and rescue the citizens of LA County, is it? I know we're not officially _off_- duty, but we're not really _on_, either, are we?"

The silence stretched on a few moments more, and Mike just shrugged.

"You're right, Mike," Hank said. "It's not like we can go help anyone out there right now. I don't know if anyone even knows where we are right now. Hell, they could all be out looking for all of us, not just Johnny."

Heads dropped at the mention of Johnny's name, and although one wasn't called for, a moment of silence followed. Hank raised his head first, and addressed Chet, who was staring at his dusty shoes lost in thought.

"Okay, Kelly, what's your plan?"

* * *

Roy and Dr. Brackett continued to monitor the Doctor's vitals, Dr. Brackett shaking his head in wonder and disbelief as the patient continued to improve. Periodically, Roy would pace the control room, wandering around the hexagon console in the middle of the room, stopping in front of the door that lead into the corridor, which in turn lead to the room where his partner and best friend lay dead. He was the only one of the crew who hadn't gone to see Johnny, not because he didn't love and respect his friend, but because he simply didn't want to. He'd barely glanced at John's body when Captain Stanley brought him in, and since then, it was as if his brain refused to allow anything to enter it other than the last image Roy had of Johnny's face as he closed the doors of the ambulance, grinning at him through the windows, before slapping the doors and walking . . .no jogging, away. Roy made the correction to assure himself he'd got it right. Johnny had just gotten out of that restaurant fire, and had been chastised, albeit lightheartedly, by Cap, and had been sucking on the oxygen he'd been given, grinning that fearless, joyful grin of his. Then Johnny followed him to the ambulance, closed the doors and peered in the window at him, still grinning. Roy couldn't remember if he'd smiled back. Couldn't remember the last words he spoke to his best friend. He ran through it again, slower this time, savouring every detail:

_"Well, nice of you to join us, Gage," Captain Stanley had said jokingly, then added with concern, "You okay?" _

_"Yeah," Johnny had said, nonchalantly, as usual. "That roof caved right in on me, and I couldn't get to the front door. My air ran out, so I just abandoned the tank, and I ended up breaking out a window on the other side and climbing out. Ace helped me." _

_"Oh, she did, did she?" The Captain had glared at the girl, and she cringed, taking a step or two back. _

_"Ah, here, Johnny." He had come over with another oxygen tank, and handed the mask to his friend, who had put it up to his face, and took several deep breaths. "Thanks, Pally," Johnny had said grinning. _

_"No problem, Junior," he'd said returning the smile. "I'm going in with this girl and her mother . . ." _

_"Hey, is she okay?" Johnny asked suddenly. _

_"Oh, yeah. She inhaled a lot of smoke, kind-a like it looks like you did - and was unconscious for a bit, but she came around. She'll be just fine, I'm sure. No other injuries." _

_"Oh, that's great news!" Johnny smiled at that, his brown eyes sparkling with joy. _

_"Maybe you ought to come in with us," he had suggested. _

_"No, I'll just follow you in the squad. I can have one of the docs check me out when I get there, but I'm fine, really." _

_"Alright, see ya there." He had turned away then, and hopped into the ambulance, barely giving his partner a second thought. _

_Alright, see ya there._ Those were the last words he'd spoken to his friend. Not _Hey, thanks for being a great friend_, or _I look forward to seeing you soon_. Not even a manly beer-commercial sentiment like _Johnny, I love you, man!_ No. Just a lame, generic, _see ya there_. Roy started at the sound, slowly realizing it had been a sob, and it had come from him. He blushed furiously as he noticed Dr. Brackett's gaze on him.

"Sorry, I . . . ah . . ." Roy stammered, self consciously wiping the moisture from his face.

"Don't apologize, Roy," Brackett said quietly. "I understand."

"Thanks, Doc. It's just that . . I was just . . . remembering. . . you know?"

Brackett's lips twitched into a half grin. "Yeah," he said, suddenly lost in his own memories. "I know."

The sudden stirring from the patient on the gurney, followed by a low moan, made both men jump. Dr. Brackett turned to Roy.

"Seems our patient is waking up."

* * *

Chet lead the team quickly but cautiously up the stair way. As they approached the third floor, a sour, nauseating ordour assaulted their noses. Chet flushed with embarrassment as he realized what the smell came from.

"Watch your step," he mumbled as he approached the landing where he'd earlier become violently ill. "It's mostly in the far corner there, but . . ." He didn't bother finishing his sentence, and made sure to not look at the puddle as he passed it and continued quickly up the stairs.

He paused in front of the door that opened onto the fifth floor. The uneasy feeling was still there, but Chet noticed it didn't seem as bad as it had earlier. _Maybe I'm getting used to it,_ he thought. He turned and faced the assembled crew, the strange feeling of leadership came over him. It felt weird to be in charge of this situation, and felt even more strange to be about to give his Captain, is superior, orders. He thought it odd that no one seemed to question his authority, even Cap, and everyone seemed to be eagerly awaiting his instructions. He looked steadily at his Captain, searching for signs of annoyance or the promise of punishment in his eyes, but found nothing but anticipation and maybe even a little excitement. _'I can't believe Cap's going for this!'_ Chet thought. _I can't believe any of the guys are going for this! It's insane!'_ Chet's initial anger and desire for revenge had been dissipating over the last few hours. He'd gotten quite a scare when he'd gone to confront the Master, and some of his confidence had been whittled away there. The last of his courage had been used up when he defended the Phantom's revenge to his Captain, who had suddenly and inexplicably decided to go along with it. He wondered for a moment if it was a trick. Now, he was tired and realized he had to go through with his plan whether he wanted to or not.


	4. Out of This World Part Four

**Out of this World  
**_an Emergency/Doctor Who crossover story_

* * *

Disclaimer: _Emergency!_ and its characters are property of Universal Studios and Mark VII. _Doctor Who_ and its characters are property of the BBC. No copyright infringement is intended. This is just for fun. Enjoy!

* * *

**Part Four  
**

Roy tried, but failed, to contain his interest and curiosity.

_I should be in mourning for my friend_, he admonished himself, _not standing here being fascinated with a man from another planet!_

But it was hard not to be amazed by the Doctor, who upon regaining consciousness and doing a quick self-diagnostic, almost immediately lept from the gurney, and dashed out of the console room and down the corridor. He returned just moments later fully dressed in baggy brown pants, a slightly crumpled white dress shirt, a loose tie, and a wildly patterned blazer, and carrying a multi-coloured umbrella with a red, upside down question mark on the bottom of the handle. He talked almost nonstop the whole time, popping into the control room to ask questions, but never really waiting for the answer before disappearing again. Eventually, Dr. Brackett was able to get a few words in edgewise, and soon the man calmed down enough to have everything explained to him.

The man fascinated Roy, and he could tell Dr. Brackett was under the man's strange spell, too, although the emergency room physician was trying hard to be calm and professional. They had so many questions about the man's strange physiology, and his unusual respiration and lower-than-normal body temperature, about where he was from, and what he was doing here.

_And_, Roy thought, _who is the Master, and how do we defeat him?_

Roy knew Chet had a plan to capture the Master, and for some reason he could not quite explain, it seemed like a good one. At least it had when Chet was telling them about it earlier. Now that he and the others had taken off somewhere, Roy grew concerned that Chet's plan might end up getting everyone in trouble. Tentatively, he shared his feelings and concerns with Dr. Brackett and the Doctor.

"Well," the Doctor said, thoughtfully, "There are Time Lord forces at work here, and they're influencing this situation. I can feel them. The Master is one, but there is another one I don't recognize . . ."

"Chet!" Roy snorted, then blushed furiously as both Dr. Brackett and the Doctor turned to look at him curiously.

"Chet's pretending to be a Time Lord, " Roy explained. "Calls himself 'The Phantom.'

"The Phantom," the Doctor pondered the name. "Doesn't sound familiar."

"It's just the name he uses at the station when he's pulling pranks on people," Roy said dismissively. "He's using it now to get in with the Master and do . . . I dunno . . . _some_thing to him. Get him back for killing Johnny."

"Johnny?" the Doctor inquired.

"Johnny Gage. My, uh, partner," Roy frowned, remembering his dead friend. "The other paramedic who was helping me with you in the park."

"The Master killed him?"

"Yeah. Shrunk him with some . . . gun, or something. He's in the other room." Roy indicated with a limp wave of his hand.

"I believe Ace called it the Tissue . . ." Dr. Brackett began.

"Compression Eliminator," the Doctor finished morosely. "Yes, I'm familiar with the device."

The Doctor nodded thoughtfully, and quietly left the control room, turning towards the room where Roy indicated Johnny was. He was gone for several minutes, then returned, still pensive, and stopped directly in front of Roy, looking him straight in the eye.

"I am truly sorry for your loss," he said simply, honestly.

Roy turned away, almost embarrassed by the Doctor's sympathy, and unnerved by the man's intense, penetrating stare.

"Thanks," he mumbled, absently fingering the material on the gurney.

"Chet, one of the other firemen, decided to get back at the Master for killing John, and devised some sort of plan. They're all off implementing it now, I guess," Dr. Brackett explained. "He was pretending to be a Time Lord, like yourself, to trick the Master. I'm not sure. I wasn't really privy to their plans. He and Ace really came up with it. The others just seemed to go along with it."

"Ace is involved with this?" the Doctor asked, slightly annoyed, but not at all surprised.

"Yeah. You know, now that I think about it, Roy, the rest of your crew, including your captain, seemed awfully interested in going through with Chet's plan of revenge, even though it really goes against everything you've been taught and trained to do. Hell, even _I_ thought it was a good idea at the time. Now, however, I'm thinking it's all pretty crazy."

"Mind control," The Doctor said thoughtfully.

"What?" Brackett asked.

"Mind control. We Time Lords have the ability to control people's minds, their thoughts. Not everyone has the same level of ability, mind you, but it's a gift we all possess and can develop. Personally, I can be very persuasive when I want to be, but I find I enjoy people more when they're using their own free will! The Master, on the other hand, has worked hard on his talent, and tends to use it to make people do his bidding. I can definitely feel _his_ presence here."

"Yeah, the others have mentioned feeling something as well," Dr. Brackett told him. "It's apparently not too strong down here in the basement of the hospital, but up on the fifth floor where you were, and where the Master is holed up now, there's apparently a very strong, I guess you'd call it a _suggestion_, to leave the premises."

"Yes, but there is another one. Another Time Lord is here, and is in control of some minds, probably the other firemen you mentioned. He's the one who convinced everyone Chet and Ace's plan was a good one. Tell me, Roy, how well do you really know your friend Chet?"

"Pretty well. I've worked with him a few years. He's a good fireman. Little rough around the edges, maybe, not the brightest bulb in the box, but basically a nice enough guy. Practical joker. Always after Johnny . . ."

"Has he ever done or said anything you would consider . . . odd?"

"Just about everything Chet does or says is odd!" Roy exclaimed with a snort of laughter. Suddenly, he sobered as the Doctor's inquiries sank in. "Are you telling me you think Chet could be an _alien_?"

The Doctor shrugged, and Roy and Dr. Brackett exchanged shocked glances.

"No, wait!" Dr. Brackett said suddenly, snapping his fingers. "He_ can't_ be a Time Lord! He's only got one heart, and all his vitals are normal, for a human being, that is."

Roy and the Doctor looked at him questioningly.

"Remember, Roy, about a year ago when you had your tonsils out? There was a fire or explosion or something, and Chet was injured. Remember? You two shared a hospital room together!"

"Yeah, that's right," Roy said, remembering being forced to listen to Chet's incessant chattering helplessly, unable to talk back.

"He was obviously checked out in the hospital," Dr. Brackett continued, "and any abnormalities - no offense, Doctor - would've been discovered."

"Well, he might've stolen a human body," the Doctor said with a distracted shrug. "The Master is a Time Lord, however the body he presently occupies is Trakan," the Doctor explained.

"Not any more," Kel interjected. "He stole the body of one of my colleagues, a Dr. Steven Langford, earlier today."

The Doctor frowned at this new information, and at the same time was saddened that yet another life was lost to the Master. "I'm sorry," he said with a tired sigh.

"So, the other Time Lord must be someone else," Roy said. "What about Ace? Is she a Time Lord?"

"No, she's not one of us," stated the Doctor. "Anyone else in your crew, Roy? Or, elsewhere in the hospital, Dr. Brackett?"

"No," Roy said firmly, positive none of the men he had worked with for so long were from any planet other than Earth.

"None that I can think of," Dr. Brackett replied, "but, naturally I don't know _every_one who works here."

"Well, never mind," the Doctor replied flippantly. "There's a third Time Lord involved here, but he appears to be on our side, so I don't think we need to worry about him. _Now_, where were the others going to meet the Master?"

* * *

Chet lead the team quickly but cautiously up the stairway. As they approached the third floor, a sour, nauseating odour assaulted their noses. Chet flushed with embarrassment as he realized what the smell came from. 

"Watch your step," he mumbled as he approached the landing where he'd earlier become violently ill. "It's mostly in the far corner there, but . . ."

He didn't bother finishing his sentence, and made sure to not look at the puddle as he passed it and continued quickly up the stairs. He paused in front of the door that opened onto the fifth floor. The uneasy feeling was still there, but Chet noticed it didn't seem as bad as it had earlier.

_Maybe I'm getting used to it,_ he thought.

He turned and faced the assembled crew. It felt weird to be in charge of this situation, and felt even more strange to be about to give his Captain, is superior, orders. He thought it odd that no one seemed to question his authority, even Cap, and everyone seemed to be eagerly awaiting his instructions. He looked steadily at his Captain, searching for any signs that the man was about to re-take control of the situation, but found nothing in Hank Stanley's eyes but anticipation and maybe even a little excitement.

_'I can't believe Cap's going for this!'_ Chet thought. _'I can't believe **any** of the guys are going for this! It's **insane**!'_

Chet's initial anger and desire for revenge had been slowly dissipating over the last few hours, while his crewmates' eagerness to get the Master had grown. He'd gotten quite a scare when he'd gone to confront the Master. He realized he was way out of his league, dealing with something he didn't understand, nor could he hope to defeat. However, Chet's Irish temper continued to override his better judgment, and he had defended the Phantom's plan of revenge to his Captain, who had initially dismissed the whole idea, then suddenly and inexplicably decided to go along with it. He wondered for a moment if it was a trick, but nothing on Captain Stanley's face now indicated anything other than eagerness to go on. He continued to scan the familiar faces before him, finally landing on the one in particular that he seemed to derive strength from. He couldn't quite explain it, but the man made him feel more confident, and made him believe he could go through with the plan. He gave his friend a grateful smile, and turned to open the door.

_No turning back now._

When everyone was assembled in the side hallway on the fifth floor, Chet turned to face them once again. He had a feeling he should say something at this stage of the operation. Something that would rally the troops, so to speak. Something that would motivate them, remind them why there were here, and encourage them to go through with the plan. Looking at each face now, however, Chet wasn't sure a pep talk would be necessary, as each man, and Ace, all appeared eager to get on with it. Suddenly feeling uncomfortable being in what was really a position of command, Chet dropped his gaze to the shiny tiled floor, trying to gather his thoughts.

He remembered them all coming up here together the first time to collect the AWOL paramedic. Cap had been muttering about how much latrine duty Gage had coming to him after the little disappearing stunt he'd pulled, and Chet and the others had attempted to conceal their snickers behind their hands. Chet himself had been silently rejoicing over what he expected would now be a latrine duty-free career for him in the fire department, and thought he should perhaps do something nice for Gage to thank him.

As they had all exited the elevator, and spilled out onto the fifth floor landing, however, the mood changed suddenly, and their lives changed permanently. Chet stared at the spot on the floor where they had found John's shrunken, mutilated body, and recalled the shock and horror they'd all experienced. He recalled his captain's shattered expression, and his muttering about Gage's latrine duty going on well into the young man's retirement, changing to a cry of horror and disbelief. Chet could see in his mind's eye Captain Stanley kneeling to gather oh, so gently, the miniature body of the paramedic in his hands, and leading them back into the elevator without a word, returning to the Doctor's TARDIS with his small, but heavy burden.

Staring at the floor, and recalling that horrible experience, made Chet's blood boil once again, and with the return of his anger came the resolve to exact his own brand of revenge on the man responsible for killing Johnny.

Ace had told Chet the Doctor would be taking the captured Time Lord back to his own planet to be tried and punished for his multitude of crimes by their laws, but Chet wanted to do something to make the Master pay for killing John; to let that sonofanalienbitch know he shouldn't mess with firemen, particularly _this_ crew of firemen! Ace had agreed with him, and now they were moments away from putting their plan into action.

Chet's eyes shot up and met with the intent gazes of each of the crew and Ace in turn.

"Gentlemen," he said, not bothering to separate Ace from the others by saying 'Lady.' "As we all know, it is our intention to capture the renegade Time Lord known as the Master, and deliver him to the Doctor. The Doctor will in turn, and after he's fully recovered, hand the Master over to the Time Lords to be tried for his numerous crimes against the various citizens of the Universe. Before we turn him over, however, we're going to show him what we're made of. We're gonna show him you don't mess with our friend, our brother, without paying dearly for it. Now, I'm going to go down there and get the Master, then we're going to kick his ass the best way we know how!"

Chet wasn't sure where the words came from that flew out of his mouth, nor where the unusual amount of verve originated, but the words came, and with an intensity he never realized he possessed. The emphatic nods and murmured agreement from the group assembled before him gave him the final amount of resolve needed to go through with this plan. All of it.

Some of it they all knew, but there was more, and only he and Ace knew about _that_, because he knew his captain, for one, would never go for it, regardless of what the man had agreed to do thus far. Oh, they would soak the Master in true Phantom fashion, that much was true, but what the others didn't know was Chet and Ace's plan to blow the Master to smithereens with the help of a can of homemade Nirto-9.

Strangely, Chet felt no apprehension over the idea of killing a man, nor did he worry about what the consequences might be for it. The feeling of absolute power washed over him again, and he felt invincible. He could go up against the Time Lord, and he could win. He couldn't explain why this feeling would come over him periodically, usually when he was feeling particularly nervous, or was ready to give up on the whole thing, but he had a nagging suspicion he knew who it was originating from, and he exchanged a knowing look with the man he believed was responsible for sending him the power.

"Okay, Chet, let's get this show on the road," Captain Stanley quipped, rubbing his hands together. "Marco, grab that hose back there, and Mike, get ready to send the water."

The two men moved to obey the captain's command. Marco snatched the small emergency fire hose from it's wheeled bed hooked onto the wall, and brought it back, while Mike stayed behind, ready to flip the switch. Captain Stanley took his position behind Marco, although back up for such a small hose with very little water pressure was unnecessary, and Ace just stood back, out of the way, but already digging into her coat pocket for the canister that would effectively end the Master's reign of terror.

When all was in place, Captain Stanley nodded to Chet, "Bring him on down, pal!"

Chet returned the Captain's nod. "Yes, sir."

He turned to leave, meeting Ace's eyes one last time, before heading down the hallway to lure the Master to his demise. As he walked, a determined mantra played again and again in his head.

_This is for you, Gage! This is for you!_

* * *

Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor began flicking switches, and turning dials on the multi-paneled control console quicker than Roy or Dr. Brackett could keep up with. The pillar in the middle of the console lit up suddenly, and began slowly moving up and down, while a strange wheezing, metallic scraping sound emanated around them. 

"I only hope we're not too late," the Doctor muttered. "I hope they're not doing anything stupid!"

* * *

When Chet would think about it later, he found he was hard pressed to recall many of the details. He remembered leading his captain, crewmates, and co-conspirator to the fifth floor, then leaving them to set up, and going to get the Master. He remembered convincing the evil Time Lord that the Doctor was now unguarded, and at the Master's mercy. He remembered leaving the office with the Master and heading back down the hall towards where his colleagues lay in wait, but after that, it was all a blur; a jumbled mess of sights, sounds, images, and emotions. 

There was water involved, oh, to be sure, for it was to be the Phantom's finest and final water bomb, but no one had anticipated the sudden arrival of the Doctor's TARDIS just as Chet instructed Ace to throw her own bomb, the canister of Nitro-9 she had mixed up earlier that day, at the Master's flailing, water pummeled form. The homemade bomb merged with the materialization of the Doctor's time and space machine, and the resulting explosion was not so much seen or heard, as it was felt and experienced.

Chet remembered a sensation of floating, and recalled seeing a myriad of colours, shapes and forms moving and twisting around him. He thought he heard the voices of his crew mates, captain, and Ace, but also thought Roy, Dr. Brackett, and John, were there, too. There were other voices as well, most he didn't recognize, but one he thought might be the Doctor's, as it was filled with a sense of urgency as he frantically tried to regain control of the TARDIS, and land it properly somewhere.

Chet wasn't sure if he was dreaming, having a bad trip, or if he was dead. It wasn't an entirely unpleasant experience at first, so he really didn't care which one it was. He floated along, eavesdropping on other people's childhood memories, making a mental note to himself to ask Marco about putting the goldfish in the Holy Water at church when he was nine, and Roy about that Christmas tree fiasco when he was five. Both experiences sounded interesting and amusing (and full of ammunition for future Phantom pranks!), but he only managed to glean part of each story.

As he went along, people from his own past popped up, along with people he didn't know, but who knew him, and they either coddled, harassed, or threatened him. Chet began to feel uncomfortable and sought a way out. Mike Stoker was there suddenly, trying to reassure him that everything would be okay, but he just as suddenly morphed into Chet's dead grandmother, an image Irish fireman found quite disturbing. Chet became confused and agitated by a sudden onslaught intense mental power both directed at him, and seemingly emanating from him, and a sense of fear and foreboding enveloped him. Something wasn't right. He felt like he was being attacked both inside and out, and the cheerful, friendly colours that had been there at first, were suddenly horrifically bright and uncomfortably loud. Everything began spinning faster and faster, and Chet felt as though he was being sucked down a whirlpool. Finally, he could take no more, and slamming his hands over his ears, he screamed at the top of his lungs, "STOP!"

* * *

The next thing Chet Kelly remembered was laying on his back on a cold, hard surface, staring up at the bright fluorescent lights in the ceiling. Around him the sounds of moans and groans as Captain Stanley, Marco Lopez and Mike Stoker began picking themselves up off the floor. Chet, himself, rose unsteadily to his feet, and made his way over to help Ace, who was still slumped against the wall a few feet away from him. In the middle of the pristine hallway stood the Doctor's TARDIS, apparently as undamaged as everything else was, and from it the animated Time Lord emerged, followed by a shaken Roy DeSoto and unsteady Dr. Brackett. Chet could not see the Master at all, and wondered fleetingly where the evil man had got to. 

"Is everyone alright here, Captain?" the Doctor asked bruskly, approaching Captain Stanley, and making a quick introduction.

"I believe so," the captain replied, rubbing the back of his sore head.

He turned to find Mike and Marco leaning on each other, somewhat unsteadily, and Chet just helping Ace to her shaky feet beside them. Roy and Dr. Brackett, moved instinctively to each person, checking their condition.

"Everyone seems fine here," Dr. Brackett announced, and Roy nodded his agreement with the physician's assessment.

"Excellent!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Now, do I even need to ask who is responsible for this little time storm?"

His intense eyes fell hard upon Chet and Ace, and the pair cringed. Both of them knew there would be consequences for their actions, but neither of them expected it would come so soon. Before either could respond, however, the TARDIS doors opened again, and a disheveled John Gage staggered out before the stunned group. His glassy gaze scanned the crowd, searching for and finally landing on his partner. He stretched his hand out before him, and after a couple failed attempts, he managed to whisper, "Roy!" before collapsing to the floor.

"Johnny!" Roy was at his side in an instant, followed quickly by Dr. Brackett.

"He's breathing!" Roy exclaimed after a moment's pause, looking up at Captain Stanley and the rest of the crew. "He's breathing! His heart's beating! He's alive!"

"Yes," Dr. Brackett agreed. "He is alive! Johnny! Johnny, can you hear me?" Dr. Brackett gently shook the unconscious young man, and received a moan in response.

"I think he's coming 'round," the physician said.

Johnny Gage moaned and tried to open his eyes. The light above him was bright and sent sharp stabbing pains through his skull.

"Oh, _man_!" he exclaimed groggily, and tried to open his eyes again. Blinking a few times to bring his vision into focus, he sought out the one face he was looking for. " Roy?"

"I'm right here, partner," Roy said smiling. "How do you feel?"

"I dunno," Johnny answered, still struggling to clear his foggy mind. He tried to sit up, but a couple strong hands held him down.

"Now, don't move, Johnny! Just lie still!"

"Doc?"

Dr. Brackett smiled. "Yes, Johnny, I'm right here. And so is your entire engine crew. Do you remember what happened to you?" the physician asked, becoming serious once again. "Do you know how you got here?"

Johnny squeezed his eyes shut trying to visualize the events of the day. There was the Doctor's heart attack first thing this morning, then the restaurant fire. Then he'd gone off to help Ace try to save the Doctor from the Master, then . . . then . . .

Johnny opened his eyes frowning. He looked up at the concerned faces hovering around him, familiar faces he thought he might never see again.

"I dunno," he answered finally. "I don't remember what happened. What happened, Roy?"

"Never mind," Roy said. "It's okay now. You're okay now, and everything is okay now."

"Help me get him into a room over here," Dr. Brackett requested. "I'd like to check him over more thoroughly."

Several hands reached down to gather Johnny up and carry him to a nearby recovery room. Once he was placed on a bed, Dr. Brackett asked everyone but Roy leave the room, and the other firemen reluctantly did so.

Once outside in the hallway, Chet leaned against the wall, and slid down it until he was sitting on the cold, hard floor, and took in the scene before him. Marco paced the floor, fondling his rosary and saying prayers of thanks for Johnny's sudden resurrection, Captain Stanley stood with a silly grin on his face, and Ace and the Doctor had their heads together in the opposite corner. It looked like Ace was getting quite a talking to, and Chet imagined he'd be getting his own lecture soon. A movement beside him made him look up into the concerned face of the crew's quiet engineer.

"You okay, Chet?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, Mike, I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. How 'bout you? How are you?"

"I'm fine."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Mike slid down to sit beside Chet on the floor. "That was a pretty wild ride, huh?"

"Yeah," Chet agreed. "What do you remember?"

Mike looked sideways at Chet trying to figure out what to say, when a sound came from the scrub room across the hall from them. Hank and Marco spun around, and Mike and Chet were on their feet in an instant. Ace and the Doctor went to join the group.

"What was that?" Marco asked. "There's no one else here but us."

"The Master?" Ace asked, looking to the Doctor for an answer.

"I don't know," the Doctor replied, hesitantly moving towards the closed door that lead to the scrub room. He heard the shuffling sounds of the firemen moving up behind him. The Doctor reached out, extending his umbrella and was about to use it to push open the door, when it suddenly flung open on it's own. A tall, blonde-haired man staggered out, one hand clutching his head, his face screwed up in pain. He looked up at the bizarre group before him, and promptly fainted.

Momentarily stunned, it was Hank Stanley who finally brought them all back. "Let's get this guy into the room so Dr. Brackett and Roy can look at him."

Chet, Marco, Mike and Hank carried the man into the room where Roy and Dr. Brackett were just finishing up their examination of Johnny, and laid him on the other empty bed.

"Dr. Langford!" Dr. Brackett exclaimed, rushing over to him. "Where did you find him?"

"It is Dr. Langford, isn't it, Doc?" Johnny asked, his voice somewhat stronger than it had been in the hallway. The last time he'd seen the blonde cardiologist, he'd been taken over by the Master, and had shot him.

"I don't know, Johnny, but I guess we'll find out soon enough; he appears to be waking up. Dr. Langford, can you hear me?"

The man in the bed moaned, and opened his eyes. "Kel?"

Brackett smiled with relief. "Yes, Steven, it's me."

"How do we know he's not still the Master?" Chet asked, warily eyeing the man he'd had a rather tense conversation with just a few hours earlier. "How do we know he's not just faking?"

"I don't believe he's the Master any more," The Doctor answered as he and Ace came through the door.

"We searched the scrub room, and the Master's old body wasn't there" Ace explained.

"Well, what does _that_ mean?" Captain Stanley asked.

"I believe the time storm your Phantom and my Ace created with their irresponsible little stunt had a sort-of reversal effect here. Johnny Gage, who was once . . . um," The Doctor hesitated and whispered conspiratorially to the group, "he _knows_, doesn't he?"

"That he was dead?" Dr. Brackett asked, also whispering, though he couldn't say why. "Yes."

"Ah, good!" The Doctor replied grinning. "Didn't want to needlessly upset the poor boy after such a trying day. Anyway, Johnny, who was once dead, is now alive. I believe the Master's taking over of Dr. Langford's body was also reversed: The Master was returned to his old body, and Dr. Langford was returned to his."

"So then, where's the Master? Why wasn't _he_ on the floor with the rest of us, too?" Mike asked with a little more intensity than he had intended. He flushed when the others stared at him, startled by his outburst.

"I don't know where he is," the Doctor confessed eyeing Mike steadily. "My guess is when he was returned to his own body, he managed to escape while we were distracted with Johnny."

The group murmured their displeasure and concern at the Doctor's announcement.

"His TARDIS was in the basement, close by yours," Johnny said, slowly sitting up in his bed. "You can check down there to see for sure if he's gone."

"Yes, we can," the Doctor agreed. "Later. Right now," he added with a grin, "we have something to celebrate: The resurrection of these two fine gentlemen! What say we go for a little ride, eh?"


	5. Out of This World Epilogue

**Out of this World  
**_an Emergency/Doctor Who crossover story_

* * *

Disclaimer: _Emergency!_ and its characters are property of Universal Studios and Mark VII. _Doctor Who_ and its characters are property of the BBC. No copyright infringement is intended. This is just for fun. Enjoy!

* * *

**Epilogue**

Pale sunlight filtered through the trees, and glittered off the still-wet grass. The moaning, whining, grinding sound that suddenly pierced the morning air, caught a small flock of birds off guard, and they took flight, noisily announcing their displeasure. A large blue police box materialized out of the thin air, and landed with a "thunk" on the grass. The door opened and a tall, dark haired young man and a petite young woman emerged.

"So, Johnny," said the girl to her companion, "Was it all you thought it would be?"

"What?" asked Johnny, " England? Heck, yeah, it was great! But, I, ah, still say you guys all talk funny, though!"

The girl slugged his arm good naturedly.

"Ow!"

"We do not!" she said, "_You_ talk funny!"

"No, you're wrong there, Ace! _You_ talk funny. _I_ talk normal!"

"Do not!"

"Do, too!"

"Do not!"

"Alright, al_right_!" A second tall dark-haired man, older than the first, approached them. "Knock it off, you two!"

"Sorry, Cap!" Johnny and Ace apologized, but really didn't mean it.

Captain Stanley shook his head, and walked away to join the rest of Station 51s A-shift, along with Dr. Kelly Brackett and Dr. Steven Langford as they filed out of the TARDIS, and gathered on the lawn beside the blue Police Box. Last to emerge was a man, known only as the Doctor, walking slowly, and smiling; calm, and serene. He looked around the park, taking in the scene where it had all began.

It seemed like so long ago, he and Ace had arrived at this small city park, desperately in need of help. They got help all right. Help from these amazing people who refused to turn their backs on someone in need. Blindly, unquestioningly risking their own lives for others. His gaze landed on his travelling companion Ace and the handsome young fireman/paramedic Johnny Gage, who had nearly paid the ultimate price for following that desire to save people from immanent danger, regardless of what that danger is. The Doctor was grateful that the young man himself had been recovered, although the method by which his life had been saved left much to be desired, and he would have to have another long chat with Ace regarding the dangers of explosives. He had intended to have the same chat with Ace's most recent partner in crime, the fireman Chet Kelly, but Captain Stanley, assured the Doctor he would deal with 'The Phantom' himself. The Doctor's gaze scanned the rest of the people he'd met on this latest adventure: Johnny's paramedic partner Roy DeSoto, Dr. Kelly Brackett and his colleague Dr. Steven Langford, also recently returned to the land of the living, as well as the other firemen: The now-infamous Chet Kelly, his friend, Marco Lopez, and Mike Stoker, the quiet engineer with whom the Doctor now exchanged a nod and grin.

Unassuming people all, but brave, strong, and admirable as well. The Doctor was proud to count them all as friends, as well as travelling companions for a brief time: The Doctor had decided a holiday was in order after their ordeal, and Ace had insisted they take everyone to visit her home country of England, as she had once promised Johnny. Now their new friends were back home, and it was time for them to go. Not straightaway, of course, but in a little while. The Doctor moved over to the same tree he'd sat under before, feeling much better this time than the last, and enjoyed watching his new friends converse.

An hour later, Ace and the Doctor were ready to leave. Where they were going, they didn't know, but it would definitely be some place peaceful and relaxing. Dr. Langford insisted the Doctor take it easy for a while, and the Doctor assured him he would. Despite making a remarkable recovery from open-heart surgery, due to his alien biology, he's said, the Doctor was still vulnerable, and needed time to heal.

Ace and the Doctor exchanged thank you's and fair well wishes with each of their new friends. Ace paused by Johnny; his winning smile faded from his face.

"I really don't know how to thank you," he said seriously. "Or Chet, for that matter! He'll be impossible to work with!" The crooked grin returned briefly accompanied by a brief chuckle, then faded again. "Seriously. I don't know what to say . . ."

"No, you don't have to say anything," Ace said, "I'm sorry! I'm the one that got you killed in the first place!"

Johnny shook his head. "No. I knew what I was doing, Ace. At least I thought I did. I guess I had no idea what I was dealing with."

They went quiet for a moment, each looking down examining their shoes.

"I'm glad you're alright, Johnny," Ace said quietly.

"Yeah, me, too!" Johnny looked up at her, grinning slightly. "Although I don't remember any of it, I'm sure I didn't like being dead!"

Ace returned his smile. She was glad he didn't remember it, and wished she could forget as well. She wouldn't though. Even though Johnny was alright now, she knew she would never forget the sight of this handsome young man as a shrunken deformed corpse.

Johnny could see her concern. He reached up, cupping her face with his hands.

"Hey," he whispered. "I'm _fine_! Thanks to you, and thanks to Chet, I've got a second chance. I really . . . I really . . ."

He fought to find the words, but they wouldn't come. Finally, he leaned down and kissed her forehead, and pulled her into a brief embrace.

"Your welcome," Ace's voice was muffled against Johnny's shirt, but he heard her, and smiled. He released her, and they stepped apart.

With a final glance, Ace moved towards the TARDIS. She paused by Chet, and have him a quick hug, and a peck on the cheek before entering the TARDIS. Chet turned bright red and enjoyed the friendly ribbing his got from his colleagues. Ace and the Doctor stepped inside the TARDIS and closed the door. After a moment, the light on top of the blue Police Box began flashing, and a mechanical groan issued forth. The Police Box began to fade, and soon was gone, the sound and flashing light fading until nothing remained but an empty space.

"Well, guys, I think we have just enough time for a cup or two of coffee before our shift," Captain Stanley said glancing at his watch. "Remember, we've got a restaurant fire coming up in a couple hours."

The Doctor's TARDIS had managed to bring the group back to their home just before the start of their shift the day before.

"We'd better get back to the hospital ourselves," Dr. Brackett said, turning to Dr. Langford in time to see him nod in agreement. "We'll see you guys later."

The men turned and walked away, except Johnny, who continued to stare at the space where the TARDIS had been. It had been wild ride, that's for sure! He had lied to everyone about how much he actually remembered about the his encounter with the Master, happy he did so since it seemed to make everyone else feel better. But the reality was he _did_ remember. All of it. He remembered the look in the Master's eye when he fired that weapon - what had Ace called it? The Tissue Compression Eliminator? Something like that - at him. He'd never seen such pure evil in his whole life. He'd never felt such extreme pain as when that beam hit him, enveloped him and crushed him. Crushing the air out of his lungs, crushing his skull . . .

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and jumped.

"Dammit, Roy, you scared the _hell_ out of me!"

"Sorry," Roy said sheepishly. "Are you ready to go, Junior?"

Johnny looked back to where the TARDIS had stood one last time.

"Yeah, Pally," he said finally. "I'm ready."

The End

© 2002 lmj (alias hez)


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